perdition

From Perdition's Flame
By
Denise

Disclaimer Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.

Many, many, many moons ago, my friend Adi and I were Iming and I was watching a re-run of Hathor. We noticed a point in the show where Hathor again had total control and an excellent opportunity for a 'fork in the road' fic.
That was the easy part. The hard part is, no matter how much fun it can be, whumping for the sake of whumping is kinda boring. So the story idea just sat there for months, a neat idea but sort of pointless to write without a plot. Then low and behold a miracle occurred…a plot presented itself. Two weeks later a story was taking shape, a lovely, and at times not so lovely, AU story about 'What if Hathor had taken Sam with her when she left the SGC'.

My thanks to Adi for her plotting and help, and to the wonderful ladies at the transcript list. Their hard work makes my self-appointed job so much easier since it saves me hours watching and scribbling notes.

She didn't remember a lot of her past, not much beyond the beginning of her time here. Scattered images, footsteps pounding in subterranean halls,echoing commands over a loudspeaker, the feel of smooth, oiled metal under her fingers, the rasp of metal zippers in coarse cloth.

Things were different there, colder, impersonal, yet she remembered being safer there than in her gilded cage. Here things were soft, cloyingly warm and quiet, bare feet that made imperceptible sounds on the stone floor, hushed voices that spoke in soft, hurried whispers, thin, delicate clothing that covered, yet didn't conceal.

She remembered a leader, short, round, gruff, yet kind. So different from her leader now. No kindness colored Her soul; cruelty lurked beneath her silky façade. Her mood would change with the suddenness of a summer storm, swinging from benign to vicious and back often faster than she could comprehend.

She used to try to figure it out, try to keep track of Her moods. She didn't do that any more. It didn't matter any more. She used to cling to the fantasy of a rescue, lulling herself to sleep with the images of green-clad warriors coming to save her, to take her back where she belonged. She didn't do that any more either.

Rescue was a fallacy, a pipe dream, as unattainable as the stars from this isolated planet. They were alone here, cut off and abandoned. The Stargate was gone, only an overgrown clearing testifying to its one-time presence. A ship orbited their gilded cage, watching, patrolling the skies, monitoring them from afar.

They were alone here, her, Hathor and two servants, all female, all alone, and all subject to Hathor's whims.
She didn't remember much of her past, but she did recall her last day, the last time she had felt cool steel in her hands, the last time someone had treated her like an equal and not a toy.

"Well, how? She's guarded by our own men. We can't exactly go in shooting," she said, not bothering to hide her irritation.

"This is the military, Captain. We always have more than we need. There's a supply in lockup C," he said.

"Be nice if someone told me that," she said, frustrated with the whole situation. If she'd known about the tranquilizer guns hours ago things would probably be different now.

"Your tax dollars at work," he quipped. She followed him, rolling her eyes behind his back. This whole mess was all their fault, she thought, chiding herself for her selfishness even as she thought it. If Doctor Fraiser was right, they couldn't help it; Hathor's pheromones would have been impossible for any red-blooded male to resist.

They arrived at the armory and quickly grabbed the tranquilizer guns, each stuffing extra rounds into their pockets. "Where do you think she's at?" O'Neill asked.

"She seems to have commandeered the locker room," Sam said. "Her offspring need a water environment and that's the closest place to get it."

"Ok," he said, leading her from the room. "Primary objective is to take her down. We'll try to avoid hitting any of our folks, but if they get in the way, shoot them."

"Yes, sir," she said, following him back down the hall and towards the stairs. It took them only a few minutes to reach the locker room. Sam could hear the faint bubbling of the water and the echo of voices. Sam recognized one of them as Hathor's and she thought the other was Daniel.

The colonel signaled and she went to one of the doors, leaving him to the other. At his sign, she made her way into the room, her eyes studying the situation.

Hathor was in the large tub, her features blurred by the steam rising from the bubbling water, Daniel kneeling at her side. They were surrounded by four members of the SGC.

"She deserves no mercy from us. She will make amends with her death." Sam heard Hathor say.

Having no doubt whom the Goa'uld was talking about, she looked to O'Neill. He nodded and she raised her gun, quickly shooting the men with the tranquilizer darts.

"I don't think so," Sam said, unable to resist a quip as the Goa'uld was left alone, Daniel her only ally. Before she could react, Hathor raised her hand and a force struck Sam in the chest, throwing her back against the wall.

<><><><><>

The whine of the rings shattered the silence and she curled herself up tighter, trying to make herself invisible in her little corner of the room. This was wrong. It wasn't time for anyone to visit. No one ever visited…not since him, the dark man clad in heavy gold and brocade. He'd visited once, but only once and only months ago.

Boots cracked on marble floors and she felt her heart lurch. Jaffa. It was never good when the Jaffa came. They made Her mad, and when She was mad She took it out on her. She'd yell at her, hurt her, lock her away again.

She sat in her corner and listened as the deep male voice echoed off the walls, broken occasionally by Hathor's strident tones. Their words were foreign and guttural, the language she'd learned to hate. Even after all these months, she could decipher only some of it, Apophis, Chulak, presence. She was being summoned.

This was good. It was good if She left. If She wasn't here, then She couldn't hurt her. Maybe She wouldn't come back? That would be good. It would be peaceful then. The slaves would go, the slaves always went with her and then she'd be alone here. All alone. Alone was safe, alone was good.

A pair of boots appeared before her and she froze. No. He wasn't supposed to see her, wasn't supposed to know she was here. How could he leave her behind if he knew she was here? "Tau'ri," a voice growled as a strong hand grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet.

Desperately afraid, she didn't meet his eyes, her gaze firmly fixed on the floor. "A complication I did not need," he muttered, shaking her slightly. He pushed her forward, not caring when she stumbled. "Go to your mistress. You shall serve her on her journey."

Not wanting to go, but too afraid to protest, she staggered forward, steeling herself as she walked into the same room as Hathor. "What is the meaning of this?" the Goa'uld demanded.

"Apophis is your god, and you shall do his bidding," the Jaffa said. "I am charged with taking you to him, he did not say how," he threatened, raising his arm and aiming some sort of weapon at her.

Hathor bristled, her eyes glowing angrily then she stepped forward, standing in the middle of the ring pattern on the floor. Desperately hoping that they'd somehow forget about her, Sam stayed still, only moving when the Jaffa grabbed her arm and dragged her within the circle as well. A bright light shot from the ceiling and she closed her eyes, not caring where it was taking her. She was with Hathor; she would have no peace.

<><><><><>

Bra'tac escorted the two women to their chambers, ignoring the Goa'uld's loud protests. It was nothing he did not expect her to say; Hathor had been well known for her domineering ways even before she vanished.

It was the other woman that concerned him. He knew her, knew of her. Although he had not been on Chulak when Hathor had brought the Tau'ri to Apophis, he heard of her, the fiery woman who yelled and cursed, silenced only by Apophis' hand.

When he'd heard that the prisoner had hair of gold, he'd wondered if it'd been the one he'd met before, the friend of Teal'c, but she'd been whisked away before he'd been able to see her and ascertain who she was. Flaxen hair seemed to be common among Tau'ri women, and once she'd been out of his grasp, he had not thought about her, until today.

It was her, yet it was not. He recognized her features even if he had yet to look her in the eyes. She looked no one in the eyes and he could feel her fear thrumming under his hand. He saw nothing of the proud warrior that had laughed at her friends and dared to defile the temple. That part of her was gone, and he did not know if it was gone forever or just suppressed, hiding somewhere deep inside.

They reached Hathor's chambers and he made a decision, defying his 'god' yet another time. Barking quick orders, the Goa'uld was shut into her room, her prisoner still outside. "Tek'mate?" Jah'ron questioned, frowning at him. "How is the slave to service her god if she is not with her?"

"The slave is to service me," Bra'tac said, pulling the woman close. "She will be returned to her god when I am finished."

Jah'ron frowned, clearly not anticipating such behavior from Bra'tac. He did not blame him; in his one hundred and thirty-three years he had never partaken of a female captive. "As you wish," he said. "Perhaps when you are finished…."

"Perhaps," Bra'tac said, stepping around his man. He strode down the corridor, ignoring the gasps from the woman he pulled behind him. He went down one level, making his way to his quarters. Being First Prime meant that he was allowed the luxury of private quarters instead of the barracks the rest of the Jaffa had.

Opening the door, he pushed her into the room. She stumbled, half-falling over the narrow cot that was the sole furnishing in the room. His quarters were private, yes, luxurious, no.

Much to his surprise, she pushed herself off the bed, standing with her back against the wall, as far away from him as she could get. "No," she whispered, her voice trembling in time with her hand, her eyes still fixated on the floor in front of her.

"Do not attempt to leave here," he warned, picking up a rough blanket and throwing it at her. It landed in a pool at her feet and she jumped, still not looking at him. "Sleep, Tau'ri. For we have a long journey and I fear it will not be an easy one."

He turned and left his quarters, taking care to lock the door behind him. She was safe, for a little while. Now he just needed to find a way to keep them both alive.

<><><><><>

He returned several hours later, a satchel of food clutched in his hands. He was indeed most fortunate that he had convinced Apophis to trust him. The Goa'uld had sent him on this mission basically alone, in command of the hatak ship. Which meant that there was no one to contradict or question his orders to keep the Tau'ri for himself, other than Hathor, and Bra'tac was not overly concerned with her. The last he had seen, she was availing herself of the young Jaffa upon the ship. He believed that she would be occupied for quite some time.

The Goa'uld queen's situation was a most perilous one, her status as a breeding queen the only thing that kept Apophis from killing her on sight. If the rumors were accurate, his present queen, Amaunet, was most unforgiving of Hathor's presence. He did not know if this was the reason that the woman had vanished or if it was just a coincidence.

It was not at all uncommon for a system lord to have multiple wives, especially if his queen was not capable of breeding. Unfortunately, along with arrogance, the Goa'uld also suffered from jealousy. Sometimes that jealousy could be used; other times it was an impediment. He feared this could be one of those times.

He entered his quarters, his eyes narrowing when he found the cot empty. A quick glance revealed the woman curled up in the corner of the small room, wrapped in the blanket he'd given her, but as far away from the bed as she could get. He had hoped that she would sleep, but it looked like she hadn't. He saw her tense as he stepped in front of her, pulling the blanket tighter. "You must eat," he said, setting the food down at her feet.

He saw her eyes skitter over the food before moving away, staring at his feet. With a sigh, he knelt down, picking up the food. He held it towards her. "Eat," he said softer. He could feel her fear growing; see the quickening of her pulse in her neck. He grabbed her chin and tilted her face up, frowning when she averted her eyes. "Look at me," he ordered. "Look!" he said, shaking her head slightly.

Her eyes darted up to his and finally met his gaze. They were the same blue he remembered, but different from last time, her humor and confidence supplanted by fear. He saw them narrow slightly, focusing as she blinked slowly. "Do you have nothing to say, friend of Teal'c?"

"So you are still in there," he said, releasing her chin and leaning back. He shoved the food into her hands and got to his feet, sitting on the edge of the cot. As he watched, she clutched the food to her, the bag disappearing under her blanket. "How did you come to be with Hathor? Where did you find her?" he asked.

"She has been missing for many hundreds of years," he said, keeping his voice low and calm, hoping to draw her out.

"Yes," he said. "That would explain it. Various system lords have been searching for Hathor for many centuries. Breeding queens are becoming more and more rare. That is why Apophis seeks to control her."

"I want to go home," she said softly as she started to look at him, then averted her eyes.

"I have been thinking how to do that," he said. "I still have the device Teal'c gave to me to gain entry through your iris, however, it is on Chulak. It is too dangerous for me to have it with me. We are going to Chulak. I will retrieve the device and return you to Earth."

"She will not have a choice," he said, getting to his feet. "I must not remain here long. Do not leave this room; you are safe in here." He walked to the door, turning back. "I will do all I can to get you home, friend of Teal'c." He stepped out into the hall and closed the door, locking it securely.

<><><><><>

His footsteps faded down the hall and she waited until she could hear them no more before pulling the satchel of food from under her blanket and tearing it open. It was a simple fare, bread, meat and a small container of water, but in the past few months, she'd gotten less and less picky about what she ate.

Forcing herself to chew slowly, she stared at the far wall, remembering the Jaffa's words. She remembered him, she thought.

"They are friends," Teal'c said. "Colonel O'Neill. Captain Carter. Daniel Jackson. Warriors of great skill and cunning."

"My first teacher, Bra'tac. The greatest Jaffa master I have ever known," Teal'c introduced, ignoring her interruption.

"It's an honor to meet you, sir," O'Neill said politely, frowning a bit as the alien walked past him and towards her and Daniel.

"You, you are among the warriors who defeated the palace guard at Chulak? A human woman?"

"And you? A warrior of great skill and cunning? I could snap you like kindling! How could you bring these hashack with you?" he continued, picking up Daniel's wrist.

"A shame." Before she could react, she saw the older man strike out with his staff weapon, knocking Jack to the ground. Just as quickly, her CO retaliated, quickly gaining the upper hand.

"We're here on a mission. If you don't want to be a part of it, just say so," he said, Bra'tac's staff weapon held unerringly at its owner's throat.

Much to her surprise the warrior only laughed. "You choose your friends well, Teal'c. Though were I a hundred years younger, it might not have been quite so easy."

Was he telling the truth or was he waiting to betray her? Could she trust him? Could she trust any of them? They'd betrayed her, ignored her when she tried to warn them. No. She couldn't trust him. He'd abandon her eventually, send her back to Her. She'd be angry, She'd hurt her, lock her in the room. No, she wouldn't go back. She'd never go back.

Setting aside her food, she crawled across the floor and pulled his small pack of belongings out from under the cot. Her ears attuned for any sound, she dug through it, unable to hide a small smile when her fingers closed over a familiar shape. She drew out the small dagger, pulling the blade from its plain leather sheath.

Slowly she drew the blade across her inner arm, watching the drops of blood well up from the shallow cut. "Never," she whispered as the crimson fluid dripped from the wound. No one would ever hurt her again.

<><><><><>

Hathor rested upon the divan, lazily looking over the proffered food. It was edible, barely. Not that she was hungry in any way-she ate more from boredom than a need for sustenance. Eating was a way to occupy her hands and disguise where her mind truly was.

Why was Apophis summoning her now? He'd made it abundantly clear before that he planned to visit her only often enough to provide the code, and to take custody of her children, bearing them back to Chulak to be given to Jaffa to care for.

That had not been a part of their original bargain, something she knew she could blame his present queen for.

What a simpleton she was. Common and ordinary, and infertile as well. A defective creature like her should have been destroyed as soon as her shortcomings had been discovered. Instead he kept her, cosseted her. She was weak, perhaps, however, a weak spot that could be exploited.

Her mind on weak creatures, she gave half a thought to her pet. She had not seen the woman since the Jaffa had taken her away, presumably for his bed sport.

Maybe he was drawing more entertainment from her than Hathor had been in recent weeks. At first, the woman had been amusing, her fire and drive something Hathor was not accustomed to. It was rare for anyone to dare challenge a queen, much less to do so openly.

She'd enjoyed her at first, thinking up ways to break her had occupied much of her time. Physical pain was the easiest to mete out, yet lacking a ribbon weapon or a healing stone, there was only so much she could do to the Tau'ri woman, especially since she'd been damaged somehow during her capture. She knew that unblended humans were fragile and she did not wish to kill the woman, which would end her enjoyment far too soon. If only she'd had a sarcophagus…

In the end, it had not taken much; in fact, it'd been far easier than she'd expected. The Tau'ri was now biddable, a cowering creature who scurried away from her. This was why she did not care much if the Jaffa played with her toy. Maybe his ministrations would interject some life into the woman. Or if he killed her, she could just acquire another one.

Taking another delicacy from the tray, she sighed, idly watching the distortion of hyperspace through the viewing port. Whatever his reasons were, Apophis had summoned her…and she would not meekly return to her exile.

<><><><><>

Bra'tac respectfully stood to the side as the rings swept up from the floor, delivering his master to him. "My lord," he said, kneeling before the young man.

Klorel stared at him, then nodded curtly. "See to my belongings," he ordered, sweeping out of the room.

"As you wish," Bra'tac said, hiding his scorn behind a well practiced mask. The door closed and he turned to Jah'ron. "Insure that Master Klorel's belongings are delivered to his quarters," he ordered, moving to the controls for the rings.

"I must journey to the surface and retrieve something before we depart. I shall not be long."

"I shall return within the hour," Bra'tac said, ignoring the protest and interjecting just the right amount of derision into his voice. The man showed promise; however, he also had ambition…and that could make him dangerous.

Wishing that he had an ally, yet used to guarding his own back, he ringed down to the surface. The best he could do was to complete his task as quickly as possible and return to the ship, hopefully before his absence was even noticed.

<><><><><>

Sam tossed fitfully on the hard cot, the noises from out in the hall preventing her from truly sleeping. Then again, most everything kept her from sleeping. If you slept, you were unaware, and if you were unaware, people could sneak up on you, and that was never a good thing.

She guessed that many of the ship's crew was quartered on this level and it seemed to be commonplace for them to pass by the door several times a day. But even that ordinary pattern didn't soothe her nerves.

She believed they were now in orbit, a guess made from scattered words that she heard through the locked door, and the difference in tone of the constant shuddering of the deck plates. She wondered where Bra'tac was. Would he come for her…if he would come for her.

Had he been telling the truth or were his promises just a ploy to keep her quiet? Teal'c had seemed to trust him, but she also knew that his judgment was likely clouded by years of hero worship and the devotion of student to mentor.

Right now, the only thing that kept her from leaving her sanctuary was the twin fear that she would be returned to Hathor and that maybe Bra'tac was telling the truth, he was going to help her get home and if he couldn't find her, she would miss her chance.

Pulling the blanket tighter, she closed her eyes, willing her headache to go away. She knew it wouldn't, not for several hours at least. Her headaches had become a near-constant part of her life since she'd been dragged through the gate by Hathor.

She heard a sound at the door and she quickly got off the cot, scurrying to the corner of the room, out of sight from the hall. After a few seconds the door opened and she relaxed a bit, seeing a familiar pair of boots. She followed the boots up and felt her heart lurch as they led to a different body than she was expecting. She struggled to her feet as he came towards her. "So Bra'tac's toy is still alive," he said.

"Go away," she said, trying to back herself into the corner. He ignored her, walking towards her. Her eyes darted past him and she knew she could never evade him in the small room. He reached out and grabbed her arms in a bruising grip. "No!" she cried, reacting faster than she could think.

She raised her knee and ground it into his groin. He cried out and released her arms. Pushing him aside, she dashed out into the hall and ran, her mind going no further than thoughts of escape.

<><><><><>

Klorel stalked down the corridors, his rage bubbling through him. How dare he? What was the meaning of this? What was that creature doing on his ship? Apophis had charged him with coordinating the attack upon Earth, not to ferry his harlot to him. Unable to question his lord at this time, he sought the most available source. "Where is Bra'tac?" he demanded, spying a Jaffa standing guard at the end of the corridor.

Klorel raised his hand, fighting the urge to kill the man on the spot. A force crashed into his side and knocked him to the ground, a heavy weight landing on top of him. He barely had time to register the fact that it was a woman who'd assaulted him before a startled cry filled his ears.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, struggling to get to his feet and regain his dignity.

He stood over the woman, an inkling from his host making him turn his awareness inward, ripping the memory from the man's mind. "Tau'ri," he growled, pulling her up so he could see her more clearly. "You defied my lord once," he bit out, remembering scattered images of a dark cell, frightened people, three warriors in green, friends of O'Neill. "What are you doing here?"

She didn't respond, instead whimpering softly as she tried to pull away from him. "Tell me!" he yelled, flaring his host's eyes.

"No!" she screamed yet again and he felt a sharp sting in his gut. He released her and looked down, surprised to see a crimson stain spreading on his robes. "No!" she cried, falling on him like a dog would fall upon a discarded bone.

<><><><><>

Bra'tac ran down the hall, not quite able to believe what he saw. "Halt!" he yelled, pulling his zat'nik'atel from its holster. At his words, Jah'ron stayed his hand, his fist raised high. The Tau'ri woman was huddled on the floor beside the bloody, sprawled body of Klorel. A second Jaffa, Breka, stood back, a bloody knife grasped in his hand. "What has happened?"

"It is as Jah'ron says. The woman was fleeing and she attacked Klorel, with this." He held up the knife, one Bra'tac recognized as his own.

Bra'tac surveyed the men before him, noting how Jah'ron failed to meet his gaze. The Tau'ri would not have left the safety of his quarters, of that he was certain. And Jah'ron was the only one on the hatak who knew of her location. In a flash he knew what had transpired. Unlike him, Jah'ron had partaken of female prisoners before, and he knew he would do so again. He fired his zat'nik'atel, quickly killing both men. He stepped over the bodies, plucking the knife from Breka's hand. Offering a silent apology to the man who'd had the misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, he shot Breka a third time, the body vanishing.

Knowing that he did not have much time, he placed the knife in Jah'ron's slack hand, setting up the scenario he proposed to pass off as the truth. He scooped up the woman, sliding a hand over her mouth as she moaned softly. Sparing no time for gentleness, he quickly returned to his quarters, frowning as he found the lock broken, confirming his suspicision.

Seeking another refuge, he opened the door to a small supply room and laid her on the floor in the corner. Pulling up his chain mail, he tore a strip of cloth off his shirt, using it to bind her hands. He placed a gag over her mouth and piled a few crates in front of her, shielding her from easy view. Unable to spare more time, he left her, locking the room.

He dashed back to where he'd left the bodies and picked up the limp form of Klorel. Yelling loudly, he summoned help, carefully schooling his face into a mask of outrage and grief.

<><><><><>

"Hammond's given up, they're going to bury the gate, day after tomorrow," Jack said, looking around at the sheet shrouded consoles in the control room.

"Then I must return through the gate as soon as possible," Teal'c said, confirming what Jack already knew, that he wanted to go home…or at least not spend the rest of his days marooned on Earth.

"Guess we all should go through the gate as soon as possible," Daniel said, defeat and depression plain in his voice, something Jack had gotten used to in the past couple of days since his friend's little trip into the alternate universe.

"Look, even if it was, how do we know that, that address is the same in this reality?"

"Well, there's only one way to find out, now isn't there," he demanded, exhibiting the usual Jackson stubbornness.

"We should enter the coordinates, and attempt to open the gate," Teal'c said calmly.

"Jack, if we don't go through, what I saw in the other reality could happen here. This whole planet could be wiped out. Now in the other reality, by the time I left, you were dead, Sara was dead, hell I was dead, everyone was dead!"

"Okay, well don't you think we should see if we can stop the same slaughter from happening here? Let me ask you something Jack, if we don't go through now, and the Goa'uld do attack later...how are you going to feel?"

Jack sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He so did not need this. It was bad enough that the SGC was being shut down, but now Daniel wanted them to openly and deliberately flout orders and go off half-cocked to some planet that might or might not exist to stop an invasion that might or might not happen.

He turned, looking through the window at the shrouded gate. It sucked. It sucked in so many ways. That piece of alien technology held the keys to Earth's future, he just knew it. Sure, it came at a high price, maybe too high in some aspects, he thought, remembering the growing list of names, people who lost their lives pursuing that knowledge--his second in command among them.

He missed the captain, and felt more than a little guilt over what had happened. His memory of those couple of days was hazy at best, but he still remembered just standing there while Hathor dragged Carter with her through the gate, to a still unknown fate.

If she was lucky, she was dead. If not, even to this day he dreaded the thought that they'd come across a Goa'uld some day with a familiar face, that Carter had been condemned to spend eternity imprisoned in her own body.

"If the coordinates are of a Goa'uld world, which is not on the Abydos cartouche, the Goa'uld will most likely not expect us. I believe a medical attack could be successful," Teal'c said.

"Surgical attack, Teal'c. It's called a surgical attack," Jack said. "And I would feel like an idiot."

"If we don't do something now, and they do attack later, I would feel like an idiot. We go," he decided.

"What about Keller?" Daniel asked, referring to their latest member, Captain Martin Keller, Carter's replacement.
Jack shook his head. "No. He's too green. Besides, his wife's due to pop any time now," he said, gladly using the man's impending fatherhood as a good excuse to keep him from the mission and to preserve his career. One thing he knew Daniel hadn't thought about was the simple fact that the second they got back-- if they got back-- Jack would be court-martialed in about eight point three seconds.

Oh well, if they survived, maybe saving the world would be enough to buy him retirement instead of Leavenworth.

He looked at his watch. "We'll have shift change in two hours-- we'll go then," he decided. "Last chance to back out." Both of them met his gaze steadily and he nodded. "Okay then, let's do it."

"Yes, my lord," Bra'tac said. "Jah'ron was most ambitious. I beg your forgiveness for not noticing it earlier." He interjected what he hoped was the right amount of humility and remorse into his voice. He was indeed lucky that Apophis was currently busy on another planet and not physically present. Right now the Goa'uld needed him, and that bought him some time.

"Indeed, Bra'tac. I fear your skills may be dulling with age. Perhaps I was in error to have gifted you with my trust for this mission." Bra'tac nodded, accepting the censure. "My son is in the sarcophagus?"

"Notify me when Klorel awakes," Apophis said. "And if he does not, your life will be forfeit."

The screen faded to black and Bra'tac relaxed slightly, grateful that his subterfuge had succeeded. Fortunately, assassination attempts were not unknown among the Goa'uld, and Apophis, and by extension Klorel had many enemies.

Leaving the peltac, he quickly made his way through the halls. As he walked, he was passed by other Jaffa, all boarding the hatak. This was another added complication he had not expected. He'd been under the impression that he was merely to retrieve Hathor and convey her to Apophis, not participate in an attack upon the Tau'ri home world. The presence of more troops would make his task even more difficult, and would make it harder to keep the presence of the Tau'ri woman unknown.

Arriving at the storeroom, he was grateful to find it undisturbed, showing him that her presence had gone unnoticed. Ascertaining that he was unobserved, he entered the room. He made his way over to the corner, watching as she cowered from him, struggling with bound hands to crawl into a corner.

Her eyes were wide with fear and he could see bruises upon her arms and face, testifying to her rough treatment at the hands of Jah'ron. "I will not harm you," he said softly, kneeling before her. "You must remain silent," he said, reaching out to pull the gag from her mouth. He could feel her trembling under his hands, her breath coming in short gasps. "I apologize for binding you, but I could not risk your presence drawing further attention."

She didn't respond beyond looking away from him, her pain at his perceived betrayal plain upon her face. "Jah'ron is dead," he said. "He has paid the price for his transgression. No one save Hathor has knowledge of your presence upon this ship, and she shall soon believe that you have perished. Tau'ri." He reached out and grasped her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. "I pledged to return you to your home and I shall. Upon this, you have my word."

Still getting no response, he got to his feet. "I shall bring you sustenance when I am able." He left the room, taking care to secure the door behind him.

Listening to the door slide shut, Sam looked up, her eyes narrowing with hate. Liar. He was no different than the rest, a coward who would betray her to save his own skin. She couldn't trust him, couldn't trust any of them.

Fueled by her anger, she got to her feet, ignoring the aches from various bruises, and made her way over to the ventilation shaft. Prying off the grille, she crawled inside, pulling the grille into place behind her. She didn't need him, didn't need any of them.

She would find her own way off this ship, or die trying.

<><><><><>

Jack stepped up behind Teal'c, staring at the shimmering blue vista through the window. "Teal'c, why didn't you tell us we were on a ship?"

"I was not sure. I have never been aboard a Goa'uld vessel such as this. Most accelerate very differently. Most do not contain Stargate," he said. If Jack didn't know better, he'd swear the man did this on purpose just to annoy him.

Hearing the voice, Jack spun, grateful to see that Daniel and Teal'c had both managed to secret themselves out of sight. "Hey! How you doing? Uh...seen a bathroom around here?" He saw the Jaffa's fingers tense and he ducked, hoping to avoid the incoming fire. An odd zinging sound cut through the air and he looked up as the Jaffa was enveloped in blue lightening. The man jerked and shuddered, falling to the floor. Teal'c stepped forward, firing a third time and Jack watched the man shimmer into nothingness. "Okay, one shot hurts him, two shots kills him, the third shot.…" he asked, adrenaline shooting through his veins.

"I suggest we relocate to another chamber as soon as possible. The royal sarcophagi, are rarely left unattended for long," Teal'c said, referring to the large golden box they discovered upon entering the room. He moved towards the door to the chamber. Unable to do anything else, Jack and Daniel followed him into the halls, ducking out of sight as a troop of Jaffa marched past them. They slipped into a room and Jack turned, keeping watch as another phalanx of heavy booted Jaffa marched by. Damn, there were way too many troops here.

"Jack? It's happening." He turned to look past Daniel, seeing for the first time a near-endless bay of fighter ships. "We're on a attack ship, headed to Earth." Daniel said.

"Okay. Well, we've got some problems then," he shot over his shoulder, using the blade of his knife to keep the door from closing totally and allowing him to keep the hall in view.

"Mol Jaffa. Tim lokeem rel moccom ai." A booming voice cut through the air and Jack looked to Daniel for translation.

"Wherever they are going," Jack said, not in the mood to argue. He nodded towards Teal'c, who manipulated a button, and the door opened. They followed the parade through the halls, returning to the room with the sarcophagus. Moving silently, Jack ducked behind a large pillar. He watched the golden ball hanging in the center of the gate flare into life, the all-too-familiar face of Apophis come to life.

"Chel hol, Jaffa. The end of a dark moment in Goa'uld history approaches. Soon we will wipe out the scourge that plagues us. I will rejoin you as we come out of the shadows. Until then, you are to follow all orders of my son...as if they were my own." Jack glanced back at Daniel as the Sarcophagus opened, the people in the room moving to get a good view. "Bow down now, show your reverence to my son. The mighty warrior, Klorel."

Jack's heart lurched as he watched Skaara stand up in the sarcophagus, spreading his hands out wide. "Tel kol, Jaffa. Kel, Apophis. Re nek...Klorel."

"Re nek, Klorel," Apophis said, looking down benevolently. The glowing ball went dark and Jack watched the entire group file from the room, Klorel going with them.

"They do not know we are on board. We would likely encounter limited opposition," Teal'c said.

"You know, if we capture him, Jack, maybe we can get through to the old Skaara. Kendra said that she could fight her Goa'uld when it was still inside her."

"Let's go," Jack said, refusing to buy into Daniel's optimism.

<><><><><>

Sam crawled through the narrow air shafts, feeling herself relax slightly as she realized that for the first time in a long time, she was alone. Completely and totally alone. Oh, she'd been alone before; that was Hathor's favorite way of punishing her, to lock her into a room, in the dark for days, weeks at a time.

That was before. Then she was alone because Hathor wanted her to be alone. Now, she was here because she wanted to be here, it was her choice, her doing. It felt strange to once again have control. It felt good.

That was when the voices would come, memories and feelings. The colonel's sardonic laugh, Daniel's hesitating voice, Teal'c's calm presence. She remembered the general's twinkling eyes as she briefed him, the colonel and Kawalsky arguing in the background.

The flatness of their voices as they ignored her, ignored her warnings, dismissed her worries. The dead look in their eyes as they stood by Hathor, shielding her with their own bodies. The way they stood there, not seeming to care as she was dragged up the ramp, ignoring her as she called out for help.

She passed by an open grate and paused, looking down into the room below. Skaara? What was he doing alive? She looked at her hands, rust-colored stains under the dust and dirt. She'd killed him. She remembered killing him. Why was he still alive?

A flash of movement caught her eye and she turned, feeling her heart lurch as she saw three familiar figures charge into the room, quickly dispatching the Jaffa guarding Skaara.

"Chel nok, makor," Skaara spat, struggling as Teal'c snuck up behind him, grabbing his right hand and rendering the device there worthless.

"There's a raised hieroglyphs on the wall next to the door. It resembles a coiled serpent, push then turn it." She watched Daniel move, following Teal'c's instructions. "Stand aside."

Daniel stepped away, cringing slightly as Teal'c fired a strange weapon in his hand. Blue fire shot across the room and burned into the wall.

She saw Daniel repeat the procedure at the next door. "They will not be able to access this room
for some time," Teal'c said.

Jack walked over to Skaara, standing before him. "Hey, Skaara. Long time no see." The Goa'uld sneered, not saying a word. "Come on, Skaara, think. Try to remember me, I'm Jack O'Neill, this is Teal'c!"

"Ah, Teal'c! The traitor, I will take great pleasure, in delivering his head to my father."

"He is my father. He seeded the queen mother. He chose the host where I will live out eternity. Apophis gave me life."

"Your friend had a feeble mind, it suffered greatly. And gave in easily." He laughed and she jumped as Jack punched him in the face. She heard a thudding sound and the familiar guttural tones of Jaffa. They were going to get caught. She knew they were going to get caught.

What if…they could come with her. The shafts were safe. She could help them. Help them escape.

"All right, promise me this thing won't kill him," Jack said, looking Teal'c in the eyes.

"So here's the deal, Let him out, let him talk to me, or you get the whole load," Jack threatened, his voice going cold.

"Your friend is to afraid to come forward. He enjoys my protection. He really does not wish to speak to you."

"Is that right? Let him go, Teal'c. Let him go!" Teal'c stepped back and she saw the colonel fire the weapon. Skaara collapsed to the floor.

"Skaara! Hey there!" Jack said, his voice softening as he spoke to the young man.

"O'Neer, are you still my friend?" Skaara asked, his tone making Sam's heart lurch.

"What are you about to do? Skaara! Skaara, what are you about to do?" Jack demanded, his face paling a bit.

His face and voice changed as Sam watched the Goa'uld come back into control. "Jaffa! Nok kree tol!" He screamed, struggling in Teal'c's grasp.

She heard a loud crash and the door was flung open, Jaffa pouring into the room. "Drop the weapon! Release Klorel, now!"

"Release him. Or we will kill the human," the Jaffa threatened, aiming his staff at Daniel.

"And the host in which he resides?" Sam saw Jack nod, then all three of them lowered their weapons, surrendering to the Jaffa. She felt her heart lurch as the Jaffa readied their staff weapons, preparing to execute them.

"Jaffa, nok!" Skaara, no, Klorel, that's his name, Klorel said. "The traitor and his recruiter, my
father will be pleased."

Still secure in her hiding place, Sam watched helplessly as the three men were led from the room.

<><><><><>

Jack let the Jaffa push him into the gate room, not protesting as they surrounded him, Daniel and Teal'c. Stupid. He'd been so damned stupid. Why? Why the hell had he even entertained the thought of getting Skaara. Like, where in the hell were they going to go anyway? He hadn't thought that far ahead.

"Father, I wish to present to you a great gift. The traitor, Teal'c, and I present the human that recruited him."

Noting that they ignored Daniel, Jack shook his head slightly, stepping forward. "Hey pops!"

"No, Teal'c must suffer the most painful death a Jaffa can know. Removal of his Primta. Let his new master watch him suffer and die."

"You may choose their methods of death. But do it soon. It is almost time for remoc."

Apophis disappeared and Jack stood there, watching as the Jaffa made Teal'c turn around, two more Jaffa moving to stand beside Daniel. A priest walked into the room, standing before Teal'c as he pulled a knife from a sheath with deliberate slowness, making sure that Teal'c could see what was coming.

"Na-nay!" The priest halted and looked to Skaara, obviously questioning but not wanting to verbally voice his concerns. "Take them to the Peltac."

He shook his head, silently telling his friend to shut up. He didn't know how much time they'd just bought, but had a feeling that it wasn't going to be enough.

<><><><><>

Hathor stalked down the corridor, ignoring the looks of the Jaffa she passed. This was unacceptable. She was no mere underling to be summoned and forgotten. She was a goddess and deserved to be treated as such.

"I demand to know what the delay is," she declared, storming onto the peltac. She stopped short, staring in shock at the group of people gathered there. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I came to discover why I am not being conveyed to Apophis," she said, slowly walking into the room. She smiled, enjoying the look upon her beloved's face. "This is even better than I hoped," she drawled, running her hand down his chest. "Why did no one tell me that we had such distinguished guests with us?"

"You need to start hanging around with a higher class of people, Skaara," O'Neill said.

"Oh, I think it does," she said, abandoning the Tau'ri and making her way to the viewing screen. "Apophis has grown most bold," she said. "Attacking the Tau'ri home world."

She turned, watching his face pale as he caught sight of the planets visible through the viewing barrier. "Oh my god."

"You will get to see your home, one last time. Before you, and everyone on your planet, are destroyed. And your kind will disturb the Goa'uld no more," Klorel said.

<><><><><>

Sam stared from her hiding place in the ventilation shaft. Like the one in the storeroom, the grate was low, close to the floor. Looking up she could barely see the faces of her friends as they seemed to tower over her.

"The humans we can use," Hathor said. She walked over to Jack. "We were most distressed when you spurned our child last time. You shall not have that opportunity again."

"At any time during your little visit to Earth, did you pick up on the phrase 'bite me,'?" Jack asked.

Hathor snarled, striking him. He staggered, only Teal'c's quick reflexes keeping him from falling to his knees. "You shall make an excellent host for one of my new children."

She was going to do it again. Hathor would do it again. She'd control them, use them to destroy Earth. She'd make the colonel into a Jaffa, use Daniel, probably kill Teal'c.

Quickly and quietly backing away, Sam crawled down the ventilation shaft. No. Not again. She couldn't let it happen again.

<><><><><>

Bra'tac stalked down the corridors, muttering curses under his breath. These Tau'ri were quickly becoming more trouble than they were worth. He could not conceive what benefits Teal'c saw in allying himself with such inept people.

The woman…the woman he held no blame for; she had been taken from her home world, but these others…these others would likely result in all their deaths.

If he were a wise man, he would leave them be and let them suffer whatever fate Hathor, Apophis and Klorel had in store for them. Yet he knew he could not. The only reason he could think of for Apophis to summon Hathor was to use her to conquer the planet. He knew that it would only take her weeks to produce enough larvae to create a whole army of Jaffa, even if the strain would likely result in her death. If that happened, Earth would fall. And with it, what could perhaps be the last chance of the Goa'uld being overthrown.

Arriving outside the cell, he dismissed the guard and entered the room, sensing the presence of two people flanking the door.

Acting on impulse, he struck, hitting the man in the face. Fool. His unwise tongue would get them all killed.

"Fools! Hashack! You doom yourselves. It is all I can do to keep you alive. Do you know all I have done to regain the trust of Apophis? Hmm? Hmm?" he ranted.

"Hello again, old friend," he said, his ire fading at the sight of his protégé. "Your son grows strong. One day, he will be a great warrior. But you should not have come."

"I stand by my friends. I believe this world may be our only hope in one day overcoming the false gods."

"Hey! What do you think we've been trying to do?" O'Neill protested, getting to his feet. "It is our world you're talking about."

"Enough, human! This is not the place to talk of these things. It is merely a matter of time until Hathor and Klorel determine your fates, and a cell is not the best place to be."

He motioned for them to follow him and he led the way out of the cell, quickly slipping behind the false walls. It took them only minutes to make their way into the armory. Securing the door and trusting one of his men to watch it, Bra'tac opened a crate, revealing the weapons that had been taken away from the Tau'ri. "Here are your weapons. You will need them."

"Um, Bra'tac, you mentioned something about saving the world. Care to elaborate on that?" O'Neill asked.
"Apophis plans to attack your world from space, then use Hathor to create a Jaffa army to be under his thrall. Destroying this ship will prevent that."

"Among the Goa'uld, a pharaoh's power is more often challenged by their sons than by their enemies. Once we had joined battle with your world, I was prepared to lead my wing against Apophis, in Hathor's and Klorel's names."

"Apophis would assume the attack is a joint challenge between Hathor and Klorel and reciprocate. A daring plan," Teal'c intuited.

"I had hoped to drive a stake of mistrust between them. Klorel has little love for Hathor. Now, however, I fear they will bond against their common enemy."

"We didn't know there was another until half an hour ago," O'Neill said. "Is there any way you can get us over there?"

"She will survive," Bra'tac said. "Taking the time to retrieve her puts the success of your plan at risk," he warned.

<><><><><>

Sam silently slipped out of the air shaft, casting a wary eye at the figure reclining upon a divan across the room. Klorel had done just what she'd expected him to do, had Hathor escorted back to her quarters. It was a good thing that those two hated each other. This was going to be much easier now that Hathor was alone, or as close to alone as the female Goa'uld ever got.

There were two slaves in the room, but Sam knew from experience that they'd stay out of her way. Waiting until the slaves turned their backs, she padded across the room, picking up a small statue, smiling at the reassuring weight in her hand. It probably wasn't enough to kill the host, but she didn't need to do that. One good blow to the back of the neck was all she needed. Just enough to kill the symbiote within the woman.

She crept to within feet of her, close enough to hear the Goa'uld breathing. Hathor was reclining on her side, the back of her neck shielded by nothing more than hair. Raising the statue, she heard a gasp, turning her head to meet the shocked gaze of one of the slaves. In a flash, Hathor turned, striking out and knocking Sam off her feet.

She landed hard, the statue skittering out of her hands and across the floor. "So, my pet does still live," she said, getting to her feet. She grabbed Sam's arm, pulling her to her feet. "The fates do shine upon me today. I regain not only my beloved, but my pet as well."

"You will experience the benevolence of your god," she said, tightening her grip. "I shall gift you with one of my children. You and the rest of your friends shall serve me for all eternity."

"If need be," she said, dragging Sam across the room. "Perhaps you would like to join them?"

She pulled her out into the corridor, using her symbiote-enhanced strength to make Sam follow her. She walked quickly, forcing Sam to almost run to keep from being literally dragged along behind the woman.

She rounded a corner and stopped short. "Sholva!" Hathor called out. Before Sam could even look up, blue fire arced over her and she fell, her nerves screaming with pain.

<><><><><>

Daniel stared in shock as the two women fell in a tangle of limbs, the zat blast being enough to knock them off their feet. Teal'c hurried forward, pulling Hathor away from the other one. He didn't think she was a Goa'uld, not given the way she was dressed in simple leggings and an overshirt. "Son of a bitch," he heard Jack mutter.

He barely recognized his friend; her face was smeared with dust and dirt, and her hair was longer than the last time he'd seen it, ragged and tangled. He could see that she was thinner, bruises visible beneath the grime. She was unconscious, obviously stunned by the zat.

"Teal'c," Jack said, standing up. Teal'c obliged, moving from Hathor to pick Sam up. "We gotta move," Jack said. "This ship's gonna blow in less than an hour."

Acting on impulse, Daniel raised his zat, shooting her a second and third time, taking no small measure of satisfaction as she shimmered into nothingness.

"Maybe they'll be so busy looking for her they won't notice the ship blowing up," he said, not regretting his actions in the slightest.

<><><><><>

Bra'tac led them through the corridors, drawing up on all his skill to avoid the patrols. Within moments, they were outside the peltac.

"Right." He motioned to Teal'c who laid his burden down, positioning her behind a false wall, out of sight.

"I am Klorel's loyal servant," Bra'tac said, turning with a flourish. He strode onto the peltac, coming to a halt a short distance behind Klorel.

"Because you are not a god. You are a parasite within a child and I despise you," Bra'tac said, taking no small measure of satisfaction in finally being able to speak his mind.

"Jaffa, kree tai! I am your god!" he raged, raising his ribbon weapon. "And you will feel my wrath!"

Seeing the ribbon weapon flare into life, Bra'tac braced himself, yet still found himself unprepared as pain like he had never felt lanced through his skull. "I… die….free!" Bra'tac choked out.

Weapons fire filled the room and Klorel broke off the attack, distracted by the noise. Teal'c appeared in his vision, roughly grabbing Klorel's arm, rendering him harmless.

He heard the sound of Tau'ri weapons in the corridor and O'Neill reacted, hurrying from the room as Bra'tac's loyal Jaffa eliminated the others in the room. He returned a few minutes later, the still unconscious form of the Tau'ri female in his arms, the younger male painfully absent.

"Daniel's….staying behind," he said, the grief on his face telling Bra'tac all he needed to know.

"Come," he said, moving to the controls for the rings. He waited until they were ready, then activated the system, sending them to Apophis' ship.

"Kree, Jaffa!" Apophis said, his eyes narrowing in anger at the invasion of his ship.

"I have spent one hundred and thirty-three years worshipping false gods. No more!" he said, raising his staff weapon and firing upon the control console of the ship. The small group fled the peltac, Teal'c still struggling with Klorel before striking the Goa'uld on the head, subduing him. Bra'tac quickly disabled the mechanism for the door, sealing Apophis in, for a short time at least.

"How do we blow this ship?" O'Neill asked, slightly distracted by the female, who was starting to rouse.

"When we were on Klorel's vessel, I directed it closer to this one," Bra'tac said.

"If we destroy the shield generator of this vessel, both will be destroyed in the explosion. Two birds with but one stone," Teal'c said.

Bra'tac nodded. That had been his thought as well. "This way." He led them to a large shaft that ran the length of the ship. "The shield generators are far below. There, in the very bowels of the ship. We must climb down several decks, through the length of the ship. The taking our weapons, we must…"

O'Neill held up his hand, carefully propping Sam against the wall and supporting her for a second as she slid down to sit on the floor. He pulled open the vest he wore and pulled out two small items. As Bra'tac watched, he pulled a pin from each of them and let them drop, smiling grimly when twin explosions rocked the ship. "Grenades," he said, tossing the pins into the hole.

"This vessel is no longer protected by an energy field," Teal'c said. "When Klorel's ship explodes, this one shall as well."

"Now we die," Bra'tac said, satisfied that he had saved the Tau'ri world, but saddened that he would be unable to fulfill his promise to the Tau'ri woman. She would never see her home, but at least her death would come among her friends.

<><><><><>

Sam let Jack pull her to her feet, swaying slightly. "Hang in there, Carter," he said softly, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Colonel," she muttered, trying to process what had happened. Where did they come from? "Hathor," she said.

"She's not an issue anymore," he reassured. "You just hang on. We'll have you home in no time."

She let him pull her along, concentrating more on staying on her feet than where they were going. Home. Could she really be going home? It didn't seem real. She'd long since given up on ever getting home again.

They stopped, Jack pushing Sam to lean against the wall. "I'll go in first…never mind."

"Observe," she heard Bra'tac say. He pulled a small ball from a pouch at his belt and stepped to the doorway, rolling it into the room. "Cover!" Sam felt Jack lean over her, shielding her as a high-pitched whine filled the air. "Now that was a grenade!" Bra'tac crowed. "Come!"

She followed Jack, Bra'tac, Teal'c and Klorel into the room, staring for a moment at the seemingly endless rows of death gliders. Bra'tac and Teal'c led the way, pushing buttons on consoles to make the bottom of the fuselage slide down, revealing a pair of seats.

Sam looked to her companions, the stark simplicity of their situation setting in. There wasn't room. She met Jack's gaze and saw that he'd realized the same thing. "Skaara and I will…"

"Colonel…I'm already dead," she said, turning and running back out into the corridor.

Jack shook it off. "I gotta go get her," Jack said, shaking off the Jaffa's hand. He pounded out into the hall, quickly catching sight of the fleeing Carter. She tried to run around a corner too fast and slipped, crashing into the wall. Jack easily caught her, grabbing one flailing arm.

"Goddamn it, Carter," he said, the sudden lurch of the ship telling him that he was out of time. Balling his fist, he clipped her on the jaw, stunning her into submission. Tossing her over his shoulder, he ran back to the glider bay, grateful to see that Bra'tac and Teal'c had waited for him. He climbed into the back seat, struggling with the dead weight of Sam, awkwardly balancing her on his lap. This was definitely gonna be a cozy ride.

He caught a flash of movement and cursed as he saw Jaffa starting to pour into the room. "Our time is up. We have got to go," he said, cringing as the men readied their staff weapons.

With a gut-wrenching motion, the ship dropped through the force field decking of the hatak, swooping out into the relative safety of space.

<><><><><>

General Hammond walked into the infirmary, waving his hand to keep the people from getting to their feet as protocol demanded. "Doctor?" he said, spying the petite woman.

"They're all fine, General," she reported. "Everyone has cleared medical and their MRI's." She walked over to him. "I believe Colonel O'Neill said something about a shower, a request I was in no mood to argue with," she finished with a smile.

"She complained of headaches, the few times she really talked. I did some tests and found signs of an old injury, a hairline skull fracture, probably sustained when she was taken. It's well on its way to healing, but I'd imagine she'll deal with migraines for a while, or longer. General, considering all she's been through, she's in better physical shape than I'd expect."

"I'm wondering about her mental state," he asked, slowly, regretting the necessity of having to ask such a question.

"Your best guess," he pressed. He was no psychologist either, but he knew trauma when he saw it.

"Sir, she doesn't have anything else," Janet said softly. "If I remember correctly, her team closed up her apartment, she doesn't even have anywhere to live. Standard procedure would be to send her to her family, but…." She finished with a shrug, sighing as she closed the folder in front of her. George knew what it said, he'd given the doctor the information himself, feeling the odd need to update her next of kin information even though she'd been listed as MIA at the time. That was one of his greatest regrets, that his best friend and that friend's daughter had never reconciled, that Jacob had gone to his death never knowing all that she'd accomplished.

The doctor shook her head. "Colonel O'Neill said she was relatively unresponsive during the flight back to Earth. And she's done nothing more than to answer direct questions when I've tried to talk to her. I think she's definitely in shock but…to tell you the truth, sir, I'm afraid to tell her. Her mental state is fragile at best."

George sighed; this was what he'd been expecting to hear since getting the first communiqué from Jack, briefing him on both Doctor Jackson's apparent demise and the unexpected rescue of the captain. Fortunately, Doctor Jackson's situation had been quickly resolved, but he knew there would be no quick fixes for Captain Carter. No one survived months of captivity unscathed, and he knew Jack knew that most of all.

"I have a briefing with the rest of SG-1 in an hour. We'll discuss Captain Carter's immediate future then. If need be, I'll take her home myself."

"I owe Jacob that much," he said, not saying that he owed Sam that much too. He still felt shame at his behavior, at not just letting his hormones do the thinking, but standing there, shielding an enemy with his own body. Vaguely, he remembered her protests, protests he had ignored. If he'd just listened to her, things would be so different now. He was as responsible for her present condition as Hathor was.

"I will, sir," she answered. Janet watched him leave, sighing softly to herself. Maybe if she felt like it, she'd take Sam home for the weekend. It would surely do the woman some good to get out of the mountain and into some fresh air, and maybe she'd like to meet Cassie as well.

<><><><><>

Daniel walked down the hall, carefully balancing the cups of coffee and the pastry sack from the local deli. He'd have to hurry, they were shipping out to some planet called Nasya in a couple of hours, but he knew he'd still have time for a quick breakfast with Sam. It was a habit he'd started a few weeks ago, when she'd moved into quarters in the mountain.

Things had changed so much in the past couple of months, ever since they'd foiled Apophis' attack, miraculously found Sam and brought her back to Earth.

At first, she'd moved in with General Hammond, not feeling up to trying to return to housekeeping on her own, but that had only lasted a couple of weeks before she'd moved into the mountain, living in a VIP room right down the hall from Teal'c's. Even Jack had said it was odd, that the general had pulled more than a few strings to accommodate her. Teal'c was easy to justify; the Air Force wasn't too keen on aliens living out in the open. Sam, however, was a slightly different issue. Her very existence wasn't a secret, just where she'd spent the past few months. But Hammond had stood firm, calling in more than one favor and, Daniel suspected, putting his neck on the line. It might have had something to do with the General's feelings of guilt over Sam's condition, but, in a more practical sense, it might have had more to do with his frustration dealing with Sam's issues. It wasn't just the nightmares, but also her newly developed agoraphobia and downright dislike of anyone she didn't know that was causing problems.

The breaking point had come one afternoon when the general had had to race home and use his rank to forestall the police from arresting Sam. In the end, it turned out to be one of those odd coincidences; the technician sent by the local company to fix Hammond's malfunctioning cable box was a very nice young woman…who also possessed a head of vibrant red hair.

That was when they found that Sam was full of surprises, not the least of which being the ability to pick locks, namely the lock on the general's gun safe. Fortunately, all she had done was fire over the poor woman's head, but it was enough for them to realize that something needed to change.

Sam had suggested moving into the SGC and since the only other option was commitment to some sort of mental facility, it seemed to be the best choice for all involved.

It certainly wasn't luxurious, not being big enough for too much more than a bed, dresser and desk, but Sam seemed happy there.

She'd changed so much since they'd gotten her back. She was quieter, at times more hesitant, less confident than the person he'd known. She wouldn't talk about her time with Hathor, nothing beyond a few basic comments. She always professed not to remember, but Daniel had a feeling that she was lying, that she remembered a lot more than she let on, and that her amnesia was a convenient excuse.

He wasn't going to press her, though. If she didn't want to remember, who was he to tell her she was wrong? Both of them had bonded a little in the past few weeks, their shared experiences with Hathor giving them some common ground.

Reaching her door, he balanced the tray on one hand and knocked with the other. "Sam? You awake?"

He opened the door, kicking it shut behind him. "They were out of croissants, so I got you a cinnamon roll instead," he said, handing her the sack.

"Thanks," she said, digging into the sack. She pulled out her roll and handed him the blueberry muffin he'd bought for himself. They perched on the edge of her bed, sipping their coffee. "So, you ship out today?" she asked.

"Yeah. It looks to be a neat place. No technology, but the Nasyans are a great people, very friendly. There's this temple up in the hills, I think it's Greek in origin. We've got two days…which is about a day and a half more than Jack wants."

"I can talk to Jack. It's a safe planet. SG-5 spent a week there. I don't see why you can't come," he said, hoping that he was right. Sam had hardly been in the gate room since she'd gotten back, and hadn't been through the gate at all.

"Sam," he said as he got to his feet. He walked over to stand in front of her. "You know, we want you to come back. You can rejoin the team and…."

"No. Daniel," she said loudly. "I can't." She looked away, then back, meeting his eyes. "General Hammond told me last night. I'm being discharged, probably in a few weeks."

"Yes, they can. Daniel, to tell you the truth, I've been expecting this. It's okay. General Hammond says I can stay on in the labs. It's fine."

"It's fine, Daniel," she insisted. "I really don't care if I ever go through the gate again," she said sincerely.
He looked at her, seeing no regret or anger, but a sort of peace. He couldn't blame her for not wanting to go through the gate. Hell, if he'd spent months as a prisoner of the Goa'uld, he wouldn't be too crazy about risking repeating the experience either. He just hadn't ever thought he'd ever see her giving up the Air Force. It was as much a part of her as archaeology was him.

"I'm sure." She frowned, looking at the clock on the wall. "Don't you ship out soon?"

"Yeah, guess I better go get changed. Hey, wanna go get dinner when we get back?"

"Cool, it's a date." He picked up the remnants of his coffee. "I'll see you in a couple of days."

"Moi?" he asked, schooling his face into false innocence. Her laugh echoed down the hall and he headed towards the locker room.

<><><><><>

Sam picked up her tray, making her way over to Janet, who was seated at her usual table in the far corner of the dining hall. That was one nice thing about being on the base all day-- she finally had some sort of schedule, a fact that gave her some comfort. She found it easier if she knew what she was going to do when.

She knew some saw her as weak; she'd overheard enough random comments to know that she was often featured on the base grapevine. That had been why she'd consented to leaving the base at first, ignoring the slight inappropriateness of living in the general's house to cling to some scrap of familiarity.

The incident with the cable repairwoman showed her just how stupid she'd been. She didn't deserve to live among normal people; it wasn't safe.

She didn't really like living in the mountain, the place held far too many bad memories for her to be truly comfortable, but she accepted it, largely because it was the safest place for her to be. She knew if she ever freaked out again, there was no shortage of armed guards that would, hopefully, keep her from hurting anyone.

"Hey," Janet said as she sat down, frowning a bit at the lack of food on her tray.

"I ate breakfast," Sam said, hoping to avoid the perpetual lecture on her weight. Most of the time, she just wasn't hungry, eating now being something she did more because she knew she had to rather than wanting to.

Fortunately, the doctor just shrugged, picking up her soda and taking a sip. "Cassie and I are going to order a pizza and watch a movie tonight, want to join us?" she invited, picking up her sandwich.

"Daniel and I are going out for dinner," Sam interrupted. "Assuming he gets back in time."

"That's great," the doctor enthused, a reaction Sam had been expecting. In the past few months if she wasn't pressing her to eat more, it was to go outside. "It'll do you some good to get out of this mountain once in a while."

Sam crumbled some crackers into her soup. "How's Skaara?" she asked, deliberately changing the subject, knowing that the doctor just wasn't ever going to understand that there were days when the thought of going outside was enough to make Sam physically ill.

Janet shrugged. "As well as can be expected, I guess," she replied. "Every once in a while, Skaara comes forth. We've had some limited success with drugs, but every time we get close, Klorel takes it out on Skaara so…."

"Yeah," the doctor agreed. "Unfortunately, Klorel has the perfect hostage, and we're starting to run out of time."

"The NID," Sam said. She'd heard that the agency was most interested in Skaara, or more accurately, Klorel. And that Hammond had pulled every string he could come up with to keep the young man at the SGC. "So he just exchanged one prison for another," Sam said softly.

"Medical team to the gate room. Medical emergency in the gate room," the loudspeakers blared as the klaxons started to wail.

With one last look, the doctor got to her feet and dashed from the room. Suddenly not hungry, Sam pushed her tray back as she too got to her feet, leaving the room at a more sedate pace. She knew she should be concerned, or even interested in what was going on. But she wasn't.

Whatever was happening was going to happen whether or not she was there. She might as well go to her lab and get some work done.

<><><><><>

Jack hopped up onto the bed, groaning softly as pulled muscles made their presence known. Damn, he was getting way too old for this crap. He started to unbutton his shirt in preparation of the tests he knew were to come, noting that his hands were still shaking slightly, the effect of adrenaline withdrawal. Even after all these years and all the firefights he'd been in, he still got a slight case of the shakes.

And what had happened on Nasya was no simple firefight-- it was an out and out war. Even Teal'c had no idea why the Goa'uld had bombarded the planet, the normal scavenger-like tactics of the Goa'uld lending more attacks to be of a more surgical nature than outright bombardment. It showed a level of animosity that Jack just couldn't figure out. The Nasyans rarely used their gate and certainly weren't a technological threat to the Goa'uld.

"Doc," he acknowledged as she pulled the curtain closed, her hands going towards her stethoscope. "What's the count?"

"Ten dead, fifteen more critical, all natives. We've sent the criticals to the Academy Hospital, along with the others with lesser injuries. I know for the sake of security, General Hammond would rather keep them here, but we simply don't have the room."

"And Daniel?" he asked, referring to the SGC's sole casualty. He still didn't know what had happened to his teammate. He remembered running past him as Daniel tried to help a fallen Nasyan, but when he'd gone back for him, Jack had found the archaeologist unconscious, slumped over the same man he'd tried, unsuccessfully, to help. He hadn't seen any physical injuries, then again, he hadn't really taken the time to look, simply hauling Daniel over his shoulder and hurrying back to the gate.

She shrugged. "I can't find anything wrong with him. My best guess is that maybe he hit his head or something. I'm about ready to send him up to x-ray, make sure I didn't miss anything."

A scream cut through the infirmary and Jack jumped off the bed, pushing Janet out of the way as his hand went for the sidearm that he didn't have. He swept the curtain aside and hurried across the room, stopping short at the sight of Daniel sitting up in the bed, and Carter huddled in the corner, her knees drawn to her chest and her arms up around her head. "Daniel?"

"I don't know, Jack. I just…she just screamed," he said, his face clearly puzzled.

Janet pushed past Jack, giving Daniel a look, then kneeling in front of Sam. "Sam, what's wrong?" she asked, trying to pull Sam's arms down. "Sam?" She looked back to Jack and shook her head. "Colonel?"

Jack joined Janet, kneeling by his friend. "Carter?" he asked softly. "What's wrong?" She ignored him and started to rock slightly, her whole body shaking.

Fraiser took it, leaning forward. "Sam, honey, if you don't tell us what's wrong, I'm going to have to sedate you," she said. She looked to Jack, who nodded, reaching out to take Carter's arms, hoping to hold her still. She started to struggle and Jack tightened his hold as the doctor plunged the needle into the woman's arm. Within a few seconds, she was a limp weight and Jack relaxed his grip, letting a pair of orderlies bear her off to one of the beds.

He got off the floor, instinctively brushing off his pants. "Jack, what the hell's going on?" Daniel asked.
He shook his head. "I wish I knew, Daniel. I wish I knew."

<><><><><>

Sam slowly opened her eyes, the once familiar surroundings of the infirmary filling her with dread. Oh god. They were here. It was happening all over again. She sat up in the bed, ignoring the pounding in her head. "Whoa, take it easy," she heard. Her heart catching, she turned her head, seeing Jack sitting at her bedside. "Have a nice nap?" he asked. "Carter? What's wrong?"

She shook her head, pulling her legs up towards her chest. "Hey, tell me so I can fix it," he said.

His voice faded away, becoming soft and distant, like a whisper or the faint pattering of rain on the roof. Far away, so far away. Slowly it lessened, disappearing as she sank down, seeking the place where no one else ever came, the place where she was safe.

<><><><><>

"Carter? What's happening?" Janet heard Jack ask, his voice growing in volume. "Come on, snap out of it."

She walked around the curtains to see Jack giving Sam a slight shake, which Sam ignored, pulling her legs up tighter, her unfocused eyes fixated on the wall across from the bed. Jack looked up to meet Janet's eyes, shaking his head as he released Sam. "What in the hell's wrong with her?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

Janet shook her head. "I don't know, sir. She's obviously traumatized but I don't know by what. She was fine when we ate lunch together. Did she say something?"

"Just 'it's happening again'…which makes absolutely no sense. What's happening again? Hell, according to your nurse, she was just standing there, then started to scream. Has she got something against Daniel's five o'clock shadow? Cause if that's the case, she had better get used to it. You think that's bad, you should see him when he's away from his razor for a couple of days. That's scary."

"You know, Colonel, she has acted like this one other time, although it wasn't as bad," Janet said softly, plumbing her memories.

"One day when they were transferring Skaara to his new cell, Sam ran into him in the hall. She…reacted. Had a panic attack. I honestly thought I'd have to sedate her."

"Whoa," he said, raising his hands. "Hang on a minute. There weren't any Goa'uld on Nasya."

"Sir, Sam reacted to him the same way she does to Skaara. Major Kawalsky had a Goa'uld in him for days before it gave itself away. It can't hurt to check, if for no other reason than to be able to tell her she's wrong."

Jack sighed, running his fingers through his hair. Oh yeah, Hammond was so going to love this.

<><><><><>

Teal'c stood in the gate room, calmly watching Daniel Jackson pace. He seemed to be most eager to go on this mission. They were going to travel to P3X422 and discuss the possibilities of relocating the Nasyans to that planet.

O'Neill had expressed his confidence, and Teal'c agreed with him. They were a most accommodating people, and of a similar technological level as the Nasyans.

"Where's Jack?" Daniel Jackson complained, purposefully looking at his watch. "We're supposed to be gone by now."

"Stand down, campers, we're on a hold," O'Neill said, striding into the room. Teal'c frowned at the man's mode of dress. They were indeed not going to leave the planet in the near future, O'Neill did not even have his sidearm with him.

"I dunno, some computer glitch." As Teal'c watched, O'Neill stabbed Daniel Jackson with some sort of small weapon.

"What the hell was that?" Daniel Jackson demanded, raising his voice. Abruptly, his voice changed, falling into the familiar dual tones of a Goa'uld. "Open the Stargate!" it demanded.

Teal'c readied his staff weapon, refraining from firing only at O'Neill's signal. "Open the 'gate now! I command you!"

"Let me go! I must go!" the Goa'uld said, its tone getting more and more desperate.

Teal'c could see Daniel Jackson starting to feel the effects of the drug. He began to blink more slowly, his equilibrium clearly being affected. As Teal'c watched, his teammate collapsed, falling to the ramp. Two airmen came forward and quickly stripped him of his weapons.

"Take it easy," O'Neill ordered as he turned to Teal'c. He sadly shook his head, then walked from the room.

<><><><><>

Janet walked into the infirmary, quickly making her way to Sam's bed. She was still like Janet had left her, sitting up in the middle of the bed, her body curled almost painfully tight. "Sam," she said, taking her hand. "It's okay, we've got him. You were right, there was a Goa'uld in Daniel. We stopped him from leaving the base and he's in a holding cell on sixteen." She squeezed Sam's hand harder, reaching out with the other to grab her chin, making her lift her head. "You're safe. I promise you, you're safe. He can't hurt you," she said. She unwound Sam's arms from around her legs and gently pushed her back, urging her to lie down. "Why don't you go to sleep now. Things will be better when you wake up," she said, stroking the woman's hair. She stayed there for a couple of minutes until she saw Sam's eyes flutter shut, then she left the room, already late for a briefing with the general.

<><><><><>

Sam slowly walked into the briefing room, Janet's hand at her back and the welcoming looks from the people gathered in the room all that was keeping her from turning tail and running. The general had requested her presence at the briefing, a request seconded by the colonel.

It'd taken her two days to get over the paralyzing terror she'd felt when she stood by Daniel's bedside and he opened his eyes, a horrifying glow being enough to send her firmly into panic-ville.

She was ashamed to admit the only way Janet had truly gained her trust had been to wheel the ultrasound machine by her bed and have one of her nurses do a scan of her neck, proving that she was Goa'uldless.

General Hammond motioned her in and she sat down, Janet taking the seat beside her. "Continue, Teal'c," the general said.

"The missing Nasyan is an Ashrak. A Goa'uld assassin sent by the System Lords to eliminate Jolinar, the symbiote within Daniel Jackson."

Teal'c nodded. "Jolinar once tried to overthrow one of the System Lords but was defeated when Apophis joined the battle. He escaped during the slaughter of his armies."

"He claims to be part of the Tok'ra," Teal'c said. "It is a small alliance of Goa'uld who oppose the System Lords. It was my teacher Bra'tac who first spoke to me of them."

"No, sir. Ha…She never talked much, about anything," Sam said, feeling distinctly out of place in the briefing.

"This Goa'uld inside Jackson could be lying, spinning a tale to gain our trust," the general said.

Janet nodded. "Yeah. I mean, Skaara's been a host for over a year and he's still in there, so it stands to reason that Daniel is still there too."

"Captain," Hammond said. "We're going to start sending the refugees through tomorrow. I'd like you to coordinate their departure."

"All you're gonna need to do, Carter, is escort them from the surface to the gate room. SG-9 will be on the other side and take things from there. Think of it as Tour Guide 101, without the tour," Jack said, giving her an encouraging look.

"The first group will be here at oh-nine-hundred," the general said. "Unless there's anything else…good." He got to his feet, signaling an end to the briefing. "Come on, Carter," Jack said. "Let's go get something to eat, you too, doc," he invited.

<><><><><>

"Go," O'Neill said, acknowledging the security alert, but refusing to leave the infirmary.

Teal'c nodded, quickly walking past the medical personnel as they worked to preserve Daniel Jackson's life.
They had failed him, much the same way they had failed Captain Carter many months ago. Somehow, the ashrak had managed to breach base security, fulfilling the prophecy laid out by Jolinar himself.

Stopping by the armory, he retrieved a zat'nik'atel, knowing that the alien weapon was his best chance to disarm the Ashrak without also killing Captain Carter, and perhaps it would permit him to capture the assassin alive than dead, not only for interrogation, but also to placate the NID. He strode into the gate room, arming his weapon.

"Open the stargate or I will kill her!" the ashrak threatened, holding a gun to Captain Carter's head.

Teal'c glanced at his teammate, expecting to see fear, and was surprised when he instead saw anger on her face. He saw her eyes settle on the weapon in his hand and she reacted, stomping her booted foot on top of her captor's foot. Teal'c fired, the charge sending both of them down to the ramp.

He quickly stepped forward, shooting the ashrak a second time as the man raised his gun. "Captain Carter, are you injured?" he asked, reaching out to help her sit up.

"You know, Teal'c," she gasped. "That idea that the base is a safe place... wrong. It's all wrong."

<><><><><>

Daniel listened to the footsteps walking into the infirmary, trying to guess who it was from that clue alone. It wasn't Teal'c or Jack; the stride was too light for them. And it wasn't Janet or one of her nurses; Janet always wore heels and her nurses tended to walk a lot faster than this person. Which left only one person. "Hey, Sam," he said softly, rolling over. If he was lucky, he'd be able to talk Janet into letting him go sometime soon. He felt fine. Well, maybe not fine, but he certainly felt like getting the hell out of here and finding someplace where he could avoid all the stares and pitying looks he'd encountered the few times he'd ventured out into the halls.

"Hey," she said, slowly walking into the room. "Oh, here," she said, holding out a small brown bag. Her hands were shaking a bit and he could see that she was incredibly nervous.

He couldn't blame her. He remembered everything that had happened in the past few days, including the terrified look on her face when he'd woken up the first time, his eyes glowing. He remembered watching her cower in the corner, disgusted at the pleasure Jolinar had felt. The creature was glad that she was afraid, because it meant that there was less of a chance that she'd tell anyone what had happened.

"They are, thanks," he said, taking them from her. With her hands now empty, she fidgeted for a few seconds, finally clasping them in front of her. "How are you?" Daniel asked.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine, I…it was nothing." Her eyes darted around the room, her discomfort at being there clear.

He sighed, not sure if he really wanted to share this information or not. He knew it was going to be hard enough to get his friends to ever trust him again, even harder if he started to tell them that he now seemed to possess memories of the alien that had taken up residence in his skull for a few days. "Jolinar knew where Shau'ri is," he said, quickly before he could change his mind.

Sam thought for a second. "But when you left Abydos, you told them to bury the gate."

"If Kasuf remembered, I told him to un-bury it one Abydos year to the day I left…."

"Two more months, give or take," he finished. "Sam, maybe he unburied it sooner."

"How?" he interrupted. "You said yourself, Abydos isn't even dialed, it's been classified as unreachable."

"And tell him what?" he asked. "Memories I have from a dead alien tell me that my wife's been inexplicably returned to her home planet. That'll go over well."

"What do you want me to do, Daniel?" she asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

"You once told me that the computer randomly dials addresses from the Abydos cartouche."

"And when General Hammond gets the report and wants to know why we wasted time dialing a planet we shouldn't be dialing?" she shot back.

"If it doesn't open, we'll just say it's a computer glitch. If it opens…I'll tell him what Jolinar knew and get permission to go to Abydos," he said.

"Sam, if I honestly thought Jack and Teal'c would trust me, I'd go to them first."

"Sam, please. Just this one thing." He reached out and took her hand. "I have to know."

She looked him in the eyes, then nodded, pulling her hand free, quickly leaving the room.

<><><><><>

"Daniel, I cannot believe you did anything so incredibly stupid!" Jack railed, getting up from his desk to pace the confines of his small office.

"Aah." Jack held up his hand to silence the man. "It's bad enough that you're buying into this whole thing, but did you have to drag Carter into it with you?"

"Jack, I know you don't like the Goa'uld, and that you don't really buy into this stuff but…" Daniel paused and sighed. "When Jolinar was in there, he had access to my memories, and I had access to his. Shau'ri is on Abydos, at least last Jolinar knew," he insisted.

"Ok," Jack said after a second. "Well, Kasuf still has the gate buried. Did Jolinar know anything else that might be…valuable enough to go to Hammond with?" he asked.

Daniel looked away for a second, then looked back, his face set. "Would getting Klorel out of Skaara be valuable enough for him?" he said.

"Think about it, Jack. Who would know better how to get a Goa'uld out of a host than a Goa'uld himself."

"Which would most likely mean they're also the last people who would want that knowledge floating around," Jack shot back.

"But if we had something to trade, Klorel for Skaara…" Daniel said. "Jack, when he wanted to leave, Jolinar had two addresses in his…head. One of them was some place called Noktana, the other, well it has no name, but it was the last known location of the Tok'ra."

Daniel got to his feet. "Jack, the one thing, and I mean the only thing Jolinar wanted was to go home. There was no animosity, no hard feelings--until you locked us in a cell--but this is where he wanted to go. You wanted something valuable, what could be more valuable than potential allies against the Goa'uld?"

"Listen to yourself. You give me hell for going behind your back, then you ignore me when I say something you don't want to hear," Daniel argued. "Make up your mind!" Jack stared at him for a second, then turned away, running his fingers through his hair. "Dial the gate," Daniel said, his voice calmer. "I'll go through alone. You can lock my iris code out-- there'll be no danger to Earth."

"Teal'c said these Tok'ra are nomadic. What are you going to do if they've already moved on?"

Jack stared at him for a second, then sighed. "Ok. I'll go talk to Hammond. If and I mean if he agrees, we'll send a MALP. Beyond that, no promises."

"Ok," Daniel agreed. He turned to leave the room, then turned back. "Sam's not in too much trouble, is she?"

Jack shook his head. "To tell you the truth, Hammond wasn't as upset as I thought he'd be," he admitted, not quite telling Daniel all of it. Actually, the general, while annoyed at her manipulating the dialing program, was slightly pleased to see a bit of spirit from Carter.

"Right."

<><><><><>

Sam walked into the control room, giving the general a sheepish look, hanging back until he motioned her forward. "SG-1, sir?"

"They're late," he said, telling her what she already knew. "We were about to dial the planet and see if we can make contact." He nodded towards Davis and the tech initiated the dialing procedure.

"Captain, they're trying to make contact with what could very possibly be a hostile force. I can't risk any more of our people falling into enemy hands. SG-1 is on their own for this one."

"Close the iris," the general ordered. "Defense teams to the gate room," he said into the loud speaker as the gate opened, splashing the back wall with shimmering blue color.

Hammond reached for the microphone. "Sierra gulf one, this is the Sierra gulf charlie, Colonel O'Neill, report."

"Sorry we're late, General. Daniel ran into a few friends…We'd like to bring a couple of them through with us, sir."

Hammond nodded. "Permission granted, Colonel. Prepare to surrender your weapons and be escorted directly to the infirmary immediately upon your arrival."

"Yes, sir," Jack answered.

Sam watched as the iris opened and five people walked through, the four members of SG-1 plus an alien man in light colored clothes and a woman in a shimmering purple dress. SG-1 handed over their weapons and Sam followed Hammond from the control room to the gate room. "Welcome back, SG-1."

"Sir," Jack acknowledged. "Allow me to introduce Garshaw, the leader of the Tok'ra, and Martouf. This is General Hammond, the leader of our facility."

"Sam," Sam corrected, maintaining her distance, studying the man. Even though, rationally she knew that he was a Goa'uld--Tok'ra-- for some reason he didn't fill her with fear like the others did. There was something different about him, and about the woman who had accompanied him, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Yeah," Jack said, giving them an odd look. "General, if it's okay with you, we'll swing by the infirmary, make sure we didn't pick up any hitchhikers and then meet you in the briefing room."

"Permission granted. Captain Carter, perhaps you'd like to accompany your team to the infirmary?"

"What? Oh yes, sir. Thank you." Sam led the way out of the gate room, Daniel at her side while the others trailed behind them, and security forces behind them.

"Indeed they are," Teal'c said. "Many times Apophis would charge me with finding the Tok'ra. I never succeeded."

They arrived at the infirmary and were greeted by Janet, the doctor obviously having been warned of their arrival. "She's just going to take some blood from you and Garshaw," Sam explained. "It's really a very simple procedure."

Martouf nodded. "You wish to ascertain that they were not blended against their will. A sensible precaution."

"An unnecessary precaution considering that we came to this place of our own free will," Garshaw said.

"Garshaw, I know this is odd," Daniel said. "But, we've had Goa'uld sneak in here before. And it's not you they don't trust-- it's us."

Janet walked over, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the room. She held a small tray with phlebotomy implements in her hand. "I just need to draw a small blood sample," she said, smiling pleasantly. "It's relatively painless and simple." She instructed Martouf to roll up his sleeve and then proceeded to draw the sample. "Sam, General Hammond suggested that maybe you and Teal'c would like to take our guests up and get them something to eat while I finish up with SG-1."

"Umm, I can't, I'm sorry. I need to go check on something in my lab," Sam said suddenly not able to be near the aliens. "But, I'm sure Teal'c would love to."

"All done," Janet said, frowning at Sam as she set the vial aside. She stripped off her gloves. "I'll send the guys down when they're done."

Martouf hopped off the bed as Sam beat a hasty retreat from the room. The Jaffa led the way and the trio made their way to the commissary, a pair of SF's trailing at a discreet distance.

It didn't take them long to pick out some light snacks, Teal'c using his experience with Tau'ri food to steer the aliens away from the more exotic items that might not agree with their digestive systems, despite the Tok'ra's insistence that their symbiotes would take care of any problems.

They ate, the two Tok'ra asking a few general questions, careful not to pry too much, as Teal'c was careful not to reveal too much.

"I am curious," Garshaw said. "How did you come to capture Klorel?" she asked. SG-1 had told the Tok'ra about their captive; in fact, that knowledge was the only reason they'd agreed to trust the Tau'ri and travel to Earth.

"A short time ago, Apophis threatened to attack Earth. We foiled the attack and were able to rescue both Skaara and Captain Carter," Teal'c said.

"Several months ago, Captain Carter was captured by Hathor. We discovered her presence on Apophis' ship and was able to liberate her."

"We were not aware that she still lived. She has not been heard from in many centuries," Martouf explained.

"Hey, kids." Teal'c looked up to see Daniel Jackson and O'Neill walking towards him. "Hammond's waiting for us, if you're ready," he said.

The group made their way to the briefing room and all took seats around the heavy oak table, the one notable absence being Sam. "On behalf of the people of Earth, I would like to thank you for consenting to come here," Hammond said.

Garshaw nodded. "I have to admit, we are most intrigued by the humans who captured a Goa'uld, and captured him alive."

"We knew the host," Daniel said. "He's my brother-in-law. And more than once he was able to come forth-- he beat the Goa'uld."

"Remove the symbiote from the host?" Garshaw asked. "He would be far more valuable as a source of intelligence."

"Not to us," Daniel said. "He was taken against his will, and has been held against his will for over a year."

"You can have the snake and his intelligence," Jack said. "All we want is Skaara."

"The only way to communicate with a symbiote is through a host," Martouf said. "If we succeed in removing Klorel from Skaara, where do you suggest we acquire another host?"

"That's not our problem," Jack said, his voice even. The pair of Tok'ra looked at each other. "Look," Jack continued. "Don't get me wrong. You guys…seem to be different but…as far as I'm concerned Klorel is no different than a man holding another man hostage. Our number one priority is to get that thing out of him. What happens to it after that, we don't care."

"We would be willing to try to remove Klorel," Garshaw said. "However, you should know that the separation process is not easy, it is trying upon both host and symbiote. There is a very good chance that both of them will perish."

Garshaw nodded. "The procedure must be performed at our base. You are welcome to accompany him, although you will not be able to witness it."

Martouf's bowed his head and when he raised it, his voice had changed, the act of Lantash coming forward catching all of them a bit off balance, especially the general. "A symbiote's primal instinct is to find a new host. A blended human is afforded protection by the symbiote he carries. You would have no such protection."

"It is not possible for a Jaffa to be taken as a host as long as he has his primta," Teal'c said.

"It would take a short time to prepare for the separation," Martouf said, his voice again normal.

"It's early evening, in our planet's time," George said. "Would tomorrow morning be sufficient time to prepare?"

"That should be ample time," Garshaw said. "If we were to leave immediately and begin preparations."

"I believe that can be arranged," George said. "If no one has anything else, Doctor Jackson, perhaps you would like to escort our guests back to the gate while Colonel O'Neill and I discuss arrangements for Skaara's transfer."

<><><><><>

"Hey?"

Sam looked up, smiling at Daniel who was standing at the threshold to her lab. "Hey," she answered, grateful for the interruption. She quickly turned over her pad, hoping to hide the meaningless doodles that covered its surface. Realistically, she knew she really had no reason to stay in her lab, but she'd already tried to go to her room and sleep…and had spent the better part of an hour staring at the ceiling. She just hadn't been able to relax, something she knew had a lot to do with two Goa'uld being on the base. Even though she knew they were friendly and that Daniel had vouched for them, she still felt uneasy in their presence. She knew why. Deep inside she still expected them to act out, to hurt her in some way.

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," he said. "I was wondering if you'd come with us?"

"Sam," he said, moving to stand right by her. "They're not Goa'ulds-- they won't hurt you, I swear," he promised.

"Yes, I do," he insisted. "Their most basic tenet is to respect the host. They don't take hosts against their will. It's not a possession, it's a blending, two beings sharing the same body."

"His host was dying. When I tried to do mouth-to-mouth, he honestly thought I was offering myself to him as a host. It wasn't until later that he realized what he'd done." She shook her head, not believing him. "Sam, when the ashrak came, Jolinar died to save me. Would a Goa'uld have done that?"

"Look, you don't even have to talk to them, you can stay with me the whole time," he said.

"Actually, yes, I do," he said, his cheeks flushing slightly. Sam frowned. "There's one thing about Jolinar that I learned today that aah, well that sorta caught me by surprise," he said slowly. "He was mated."

"Actually it's a…" He cleared his throat. "Sort of a foursome. Usually, host and symbiote share the feelings."

"Jolinar's previous host, for the last hundred years or so, was a woman," he confessed.

"Yeah," he said, reaching up to massage the back of his neck. "And Martouf is aah…he doesn't really have any gender issue, so aah…"

"Not exactly. He just….looks at me. Look, Sam, Jack and Teal'c, well, they're no help at all. In fact, Jack is thoroughly enjoying it," he said, his voice full of exasperation.

"Daniel, I don't understand what you need," Sam said, trying not to laugh at the discomfort on her friend's face. He was often uncomfortable when he passed the nurses in the hallway and one of them turned around for a second look; any kind of sexual tension from a man…was probably enough to really freak him out.

"A… aah… a chaperone, I guess. You don't have to do anything, just be there," he said. "It should only take a few hours to get Klorel out of Skaara. We can even go up to the surface and you can work on your tan," he persuaded. "I'll never let you out of my sight, you won't be alone with any of them. Sam, please. I'll beg if I have to."

"Jack's all for it," he said quickly. "No, really," he continued at her skeptical look. "He'll be just fine with it…once I ask him," he muttered.

"Sam, you can't tell me you don't want to go through the gate, just one more time," he said. "Nothing will happen to you, I promise. Jack, Teal'c or I will stay with you all the time. You can come back whenever you want."

"Yes!" he said, moving to hug her, then stopping himself. "Oh, sorry. You won't regret it, I promise," he said, smiling his thanks as he hurried from the room, presumably to go talk Jack into letting her go.

"I do already," she muttered.

<><><><><>

Martouf stood beside the stargate, Sarouche at his side. "They really are the Tau'ri?" the woman asked.

"The Goa'uld will not be pleased to discover that the prophecy has some meaning in fact," she said.

"Not much will ever please the Goa'uld. Their technology is odd. It is completely different from ours. Incredibly primitive in some ways, advanced in others. The Tau'ri built a dialing device," he said, echoing Lantash's pleasure at their level of skill.

The Tok'ra had been trying for decades to be able to recreate a dialing device since the dialer was the most vulnerable portion of the stargate system. The gates themselves were nearly invulnerable, but if the dialer was destroyed, it would render a stargate useless.

"Yet they also lack the ability for anything but the most primitive of space flight," she said.

Sarouche shook her head, her eyes flaring briefly as Selmac came forth. "You are determined to only see the best of these humans," she said.

"I believe an alliance with them could only benefit us," Martouf said. "So does Lantash."

"Would you feel the same if one of them did not hold the last fragments of Jolinar?" she asked pointedly.

"I question whether or not your judgment is impaired by your passion for Jolinar."

"Daniel Jackson holds the memories of Jolinar, but he does not share her feelings. He has made that quite clear," Martouf said, remembering the look on the man's face when he found out about his and Jolinar's past relationship. Occasionally, symbiotes and hosts would be able to overcome the obstacles of gender, but sometimes they could not. For this reason, interpersonal relationships were often seen as problematic at best.

Five people walked through, and Martouf knew he would have recognized Klorel even if the Goa'uld was not bound and shackled. He held himself with an arrogance that was most familiar. "Colonel O'Neill, Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, Captain Carter, may I introduce Sarouche. She is one of our oldest members and will be presiding over the separation."

"Only if you fight the procedure," Sarouche said. "Come." She stepped aside, waving her hand. "I believe this young man has sacrificed enough of his life."

<><><><><>

Sarouche ringed up to the surface, squinting a bit when she faced the setting sun. The separation of Skaara and Klorel had taken far longer than expected, the Goa'uld being most unwilling to surrender his host.

Eventually, they prevailed and Klorel was being held in a secure container, awaiting the council's decision about what to do with him. His intelligence was valuable and the knowledge he had about Apophis' plans could save many lives, if they could not only find a willing host, but also find a way to insure that the Goa'uld would be forced to tell them the truth.

In the end, she feared, Klorel would never take another host. He would either be placed into suspension, or, more likely, executed for his crimes. Even the thought of execution was not an easy one. Klorel had accomplished little in his year of life, and none of those accomplishments were of a vile enough nature to justify his death.

Seeing the Tau'ri woman seated atop a dune, she made her way over to her, frowning at the absence of her friends, yet not surprised to discover her on the surface. From the moment she'd arrived, the woman's discomfort had been obvious, obvious enough that Sarouche had spoken to Martouf about it, quickly learning the Tau'ri's story. "Hello," she said, frowning a bit as the woman jumped, clearly startled. "I am sorry."

"May I?" Sarouche gestured and the woman nodded, giving her permission to sit by her side. "You should not be on the surface alone," she chided. "It is not safe."

"I've come to the conclusion that nowhere in the universe is truly safe," she said ironically.

"The separation could have gone better, however both host and symbiote are alive, which was the goal," Sarouche reported.

"That's good," she said, still not meeting Sarouche's eyes. Her body was tense, curled onto itself with her arms wrapped around her legs. Her whole demeanor screamed 'let me be', which only intrigued Sarouche more. The humans had not brought this woman with them when they first visited and all three of them seemed most protective of her.

"He meant no harm. Both Martouf and Lantash were most distraught when Jolinar vanished."

"It is not easy to lose someone you love to the Goa'uld. My husband was killed in a Goa'uld raid two centuries ago, as was my only daughter. My son was taken as a host. He was killed a few years later."

Sarouche shrugged off the sympathy. "It was…another lifetime. My blending with Selmac has helped me. We are partners in every way," she said, oddly drawn to the woman. While Martouf had told her only the most basic details about her captivity by Hathor, Sarouche, and to some extent Selmac, found it intriguing that she would willingly placed herself in the presence of others of the race that had hurt her so.

"How can you do that?" the Tau'ri woman asked, her curiosity overcoming her fear.

"We respect each other-- all the Tok'ra do. Some hosts prefer not to be in control, and when that happens, the symbiote is proprietary. But the symbiote also willingly steps aside if the host wishes to speak. For me, Selmac is content to be a silent witness the majority of the time. She is there, within me. We think and talk to each other, yet she only comes to the fore when necessary or when she perceives some danger that I do not." Sarouche reached down and picked up a handful of sand, letting it slip through her fingers. "Soon our time will come to an end and Selmac will choose a new host."

"Since we do not use the sarcophagus, our symbiotes must seek a new host about every two hundred years or so. Each day it becomes harder and harder for Selmac to maintain my body. Soon she will not be able to."

"We have had decades of companionship, adventures and laughter. I do not want to die, but I know that I cannot escape my fate. I would go to my maker content if I knew that Selmac would live on. Just as your friend maintained some of Jolinar's memories, Selmac will possess mine. In that way, I will truly never die."

"It is not. In addition to the laughter, I have access to centuries of Goa'uld atrocities. I've witnessed the deaths of more friends than I can remember. I've watched from space as whole planets have burned. I get the good with the bad. But I would not change a thing. We are better than friends, closer than lovers. We are one." The last bit of the sun slipped below the horizon and Sarouche shivered, feeling a cool breeze skittering over the dunes. "We must return to the tunnels," she said, getting to her feet with an effort. "It is far too cold to remain on the surface at night."

She held out her hand and, after a second's hesitation, the Tau'ri woman took it, letting Sarouche help her to her feet. They slowly made their way across the dune and to the ring site, letting the device bear them down to the warmth and safety of the tunnels.

<><><><><>

"Don't get your hopes up," Daniel warned. "Kasuf may not have remembered to unbury the gate."

"For something this important, he would remember," Skaara insisted, the man finally recovered from his liberation from Klorel over a month ago.

Daniel met Jack's gaze and wisely kept his dark thoughts to himself. For him, it wasn't as much a worry that Kasuf would remember to unbury the gate, but that something else might have happened. Daniel didn't find it at all unreasonable to think that Apophis could have taken his frustrations out on the people of Abydos.

"Send the MALP," Jack ordered, leaning forward. The mechanical device trundled up the ramp as Teal'c and Sam joined them, their presence heralded by the slight click of Sam's heels on the concrete floor. He still couldn't quite get used to the sight of his former teammate coming to work in civilian clothes.

A couple of weeks after returning from the Tok'ra with Skaara, her discharge had become official. She'd been granted a promotion to Major in what Jack had called a bit of a retirement gift. In reality he knew it was the result of General Hammond pulling some strings behind the scenes, the raise in rank granting her a larger pension each month.

He thought that she looked happier now, more content without the expectations of being an Air Force officer hanging over her head. She still worked for the SGC, her rank and doctorate being enough to make her the lead scientist for the facility. Daniel even looked for her to move back out of the mountain in the near future as she was spending more and more time with either him, Jack or Janet seeming to grow more comfortable out in society.

"I just hope Shau'ri's still there," Daniel said. They'd been dialing Abydos on a daily basis for the past month, just in case Kasuf decided to unbury the gate early.

They all turned towards the monitor as the image flickered, a black screen being replaced by the familiar image of the interior of the Abydos pyramid. Daniel caught a flash of movement and leaned in, smiling when he could see the purple robes of his father-in-law.

"He can't hear you," Sam said. "The radio malfunctioned last time, we haven't had a chance to fix it," she apologized.

"Pan around, Sam," Jack said. Sam complied and the camera spun slowly, revealing a room empty but for Kasuf and some illuminating fires.

"I'll go talk to Hammond," Jack said. "I'm sure he'll say yes. Skaara, Daniel, why don't you two go pack, if Shau'ri is still there, we're going to take her straight to the Tok'ra."

<><><><><>

"Did they say what was wrong?" Sam asked, still familiar enough with fatigues to be able to get dressed faster than her friend.

"No details," Janet reported. "Just an urgent call for medical help, and for both of us to come."

"I wonder what could be wrong? I mean, the Tok'ra can pretty much heal themselves."

"I guess we'll find out when we get there," the doctor answered, looking to confirm that both of them were dressed. They left the locker room and made a quick pass by the armory, both checking out their sidearms, then hurrying to the gate room, where SG-3 was waiting to escort them to the Tok'ra planet.

They walked into the cavernous room, arriving just as the last chevron locked. "SG-3, you have a go," Hammond said over the loud speaker.

"Follow us through, ladies," Colonel Makepeace instructed, leading his men up the ramp, their boots clanging loudly. Sam and Janet trailed behind, following them through the gate. In an instant, they were transported light years away, leaving the cool recirculated air of the mountain for the bright harshness of a desert afternoon.

"O'Neill, what's up?" Makepeace asked, frowning skeptically at the two Tok'ra flanking the colonel. Sam could see several more in the background, walking from the rings to the stargate, carrying what looked to be crates between them.

"They're afraid Apophis will come after Amaunet. They're gonna move the base just to be safe. Doc," Jack said. "Hope you're up on your pediatrics."

"Come on, I'll tell you on the way." He waved them forward and the group started to make their way across the dunes, ignoring the Tok'ra. "We found Shau'ri on Abydos. The reason Pops dumped her there is that she was pregnant, and I guess the snake can't drive while there's a bun in the oven."

"Dunno," Jack said. "As soon as she saw us, Amaunet freaked. Daniel delivered the baby and we think it's fine, but from what Marty says, the separation isn't going too good."

The two Tok'ra stopped walking and they followed suit, moving close together to allow the ring transporters to sweep them down into the tunnels. "They won't let you in the room, Doc," Jack said. "Daniel's got the baby down the hall."

They followed him down the corridor, Janet jogging slightly to keep up with his longer strides. He led them to a small chamber. Sam walked in to see Daniel sitting on a ledge, a small bundle in his arms. Janet walked over to him, bending over the baby. "Janet, hi," he said. "Sam."

"Well, let's check this little man out," she said. Daniel got to his feet and they walked to the other side of the room, planning on using a table there for the exam.

Sam watched for a few minutes, feeling slightly as a loss as to why she was even here. "Sam," Jack said.

"Sir?" He rolled his eyes, the 'protocol is optional now' rebuke remaining unsaid.

"Really? What about?" she asked. She and the Tok'ra had talked a couple of times, General Hammond granting Sam permission to travel with Daniel when he visited the aliens, or when they came to the SGC.

He looked to Daniel, then turned slightly, moving to face away from him. "Bad," he said softly. "Amaunet's fighting. They don't think she'll make it."

He shrugged. "You win some, you lose some. They said they're doing all they can."

Sam nodded, fully aware that while he was resigned to their alliance with the Tok'ra, Jack still, and likely would never fully trust them.

"Doctor Jackson?" Sam turned to see Martouf standing in the doorway. "You must come now," he said.

"Martouf?" Daniel said, hurrying across the room, Janet trailing him with the baby in her arms.

Janet looked around helplessly, then shoved the wigging bundle into Jack's arms before snagging her bag and following Daniel and Martouf from the room. Jack frowned at the child in his arms, then turned to Sam. "Here," he said, giving her the baby.

"I need to be there," he tossed over his shoulder as he hurried from the room, jogging to catch up. Sam frowned, looking down at the bundle in her arms. "They didn't even give you a name, did they, little one?" she asked the sleeping infant.

Not surprisingly, her question remained unanswered and she simply found a ledge and sat down, holding the child close. Feeling the chill in the air, she unzipped her jacket, slipping the baby into it, hoping that the combination of her body heat and the heavy material would keep him warm and calm until Daniel could get back.

<><><><><>

Jack followed Daniel down the hall, feeling more helpless than he had in a long time. "Daniel," he said softly.

Daniel nodded, the shock at his wife's death still reflected on his pale face. "What about the kid?" Jack asked.

Jack patted him on the shoulder. "We'll take him back to Earth-- you can decide then," he said.

Daniel nodded, walking into the room where they'd left Sam. She looked up as they walked in, meeting Jack's eyes. He slowly shook his head and her face fell.

"Thanks, Sam," he said, reaching out to take the baby from her. He held him close, looking down at him. Sam moved away to give him some privacy, standing silently by Jack. A few minutes later, she heard footsteps and turned to see Janet walking towards her, four Tok'ra following her, carrying a shrouded litter.

She broke off as a heavy thumping sound filled the tunnels. The ceilings shook and dust rained down. "The hell-" Jack said, ducking.

"Apophis attacks!" one of the Tok'ra said. "You must leave, now." Another concussion, this one closer, shook the ground, and a few pieces of the ceiling broke free.

"SG-3 niner to SG-1 niner, we got death gliders on the surface," Makepeace said, yelling through the radio.

"It is time to go," Jack said as another blast rocked the complex. Within seconds, it was followed by a second blast. This one penetrated the tunnels, sending huge pieces of crystal raining down on them.

"O'Neill!" he heard Teal'c yell as a third concussion shook the complex and the roof caved in.

<><><><><>

"Doctor?" Hammond said, walking into the infirmary, waving for the other people there to remain seated.

She slowly shook her head. "She's dying. Her symbiote should be fixing the damage, but for some reason isn't."

"Daniel is right," Martouf said, the only Tok'ra other than Sarouche to accompany the Tau'ri back to Earth after the attack.

Hammond knew that they'd been lucky; despite their injuries, all members of the SGC had been able to retreat through the stargate before the ground troops had landed.

"What?" Sam said, shifting uncomfortably from her place on another bed. She'd gotten off the worst of them all, a broken wrist and some bruised ribs testifying to her close encounter with the cave wall.

"Sarouche is dying. She wished to ask Samantha if she would consent to be Selmac's next host."

"Excuse me?" Jack said, raising his voice as he looked towards Fraiser, his unspoken question clear. What the hell was Sarouche thinking to ask something like this from a person who had a near pathological fear of the creatures.

Martouf shrugged. "Sarouche did not share her reasons with me. I do know that she held you in some regard."

"If Samantha Carter blended with Selmac, would she not have to leave Earth?" Teal'c asked.

"Sir," Janet said. "I don't think-" she broke off as Hammond shook his head, motioning for her to be silent, the mental state of one of his people not being something he wished to discuss in front of virtual strangers.

"We would prefer that she come to live with us, especially in deference to Selmac's age and position. However, the final choice would be hers." He turned to face Sam. "I cannot lie to you, Samantha. It is possible that the blending will fail," Martouf said. "Sarouche has been ill for many months, and that illness is likely making it difficult for her to repair Sarouche's injuries."

"I cannot know," Martouf said. "Every moment that Sarouche survives, is good. However, it also weakens Selmac. We do have time, but the longer we wait, the smaller the chances of the blending being successful."

"Well, nothing is going to happen in the near future," Hammond said. "I believe we have a briefing scheduled at fifteen hundred," he reminded, his tone promising that this discussion was far from over.

"Yes, sir," Jack said, giving Sam a reassuring pat on the leg as he ushered the people from the room.

Once they were gone, George turned to Sam, still seated upon her bed. "Sam," he said, laying a hand on her good arm. "You don't have to make any decision right now…and maybe never. Whatever decision you make, just make sure you're doing it for the right reasons."

"Yes, sir," she said softly, looking past him to the still figure on the bed. He squeezed her arm gently, then turned on his heel, leaving the infirmary.

<><><><><>

Sam watched the general leave, her gaze drawn inexorably back to the woman in the bed.

"Right," the doctor answered in disbelief. "You should go get cleaned up," she said. "I can get one of the nurses to help you. It'll take you a few days to get used to that cast."

Janet nodded and went into her office. Sam slipped off the bed, moving to Sarouche's bedside. She picked up her slack hand, holding it in her own. Could she do it? Could she take her, take Selmac and let the Tok'ra be a part of her life forever?

Why would Selmac even want her? At best, she was damaged goods, at worst…at worst a broken toy. The Air Force didn't want her, her friends…her friends' attitudes were clouded by guilt and pity. Surely in all the alliances and friendships the Tok'ra had, they could find Selmac a better host.

She should be terrified at the prospect, but oddly enough, she wasn't. Despite the fact that Hathor had threatened her countless times with possession, she didn't feel that same fear now. She knew nothing would happen unless she wanted it to happen…and that fact alone was enough to give her a sense of calm.

The hand in her grasp twitched and Sam looked up, surprised to see Sarouche's eyes open. "Sarouche?"

"Do not be. We have known this day would come for several months. I had hoped to speak to you before this happened."

Sam looked away, looking back only when Selmac squeezed her hand again. "Why me? Surely there are better people out there."

"We like you, Sarouche and I. As far as we are concerned, there is no one 'better'."

Sam looked up, her eyes scanning the otherwise empty infirmary. Selmac was right; it was her decision, and her decision alone. For the first time in over a year, her fate was totally in her own hands. She was no longer a pawn in Hathor's games, or a simple cog in the wheels of the SGC. If she did this, she did it for herself, and herself only. Her future was literally in the palm of her hand…and all she had to do was embrace it. "What do I have to do?" Sam said quickly.

Taking a deep breath, Sam bent over, her heart not pounding in fear, but anticipation.

<><><><><>

George sat in the hard chair, instinctively sipping tepid coffee. Occasionally, he would glance over at the figure in the bed, torn between wanting her to wake up, and afraid of what he'd discover when she did.

Technically, he shouldn't be here, shouldn't be showing an extra degree of care for one of his people. Technically it meant that he wasn't an impartial commander, that he was showing preference for one person. Technically, he should transfer her, or himself. Technically. In reality, he didn't give a damn.

She was different. She was special. She was like a daughter to him. Not just because he remembered the look in Jacob's eyes the day he had first laid eyes on his infant daughter, but because he also remembered the desperate look on Jacob's face the day he had to tell him that his daughter was missing in action. He remembered the loneliness he saw as his friend slowly lost his battle with cancer. He remembered the begging note in his voice when he called for his daughter with his last breath, eased only by a compassionate nurse who pretended to be his missing child. He remembered the man's last words to his only daughter, lost on the nurse, "I'm proud of you," he had said, and died.

She stirred and he sat up, setting the coffee on the floor. "Sam." He leaned in as she opened her eyes, sitting up in the bed.

"General Hammond. It worked." She smiled, lifting her still casted wrist. "It doesn't hurt anymore. Neither do my ribs." She laughed. "It worked."

She shook her head slightly. "Sorry. Selmac-" She gestured toward her head. "We're both fine, sir."

George looked at her, for the first time in a year, seeing no shadows in her eyes, no fear on her face. She reminded him of the way she had acted on the first mission he had sent her on, the wonder and excitement that had put a bounce in her step and a smile on her face.

"Because I wanted to," she said, smiling slightly.

<><><><><>

Sam walked into the gate room, shifting her pack to a more comfortable place on her shoulder.

'You're sure about this?' Selmac asked, making Sam falter in her footsteps. She still had to get used to that, hearing a voice in her head.

'I'm sure. And it's not like I can't ever come back,' she said, barely remembering to think it rather than speaking aloud. 'General Hammond has given me a GDO.'

Sam chuckled, drawing strange looks from the SF's in the hall. 'Martouf is sweet, but…he's still mourning Jolinar.'

'Stop that,' Sam ordered. 'How am I supposed to keep a straight face around him?'

Voices carried out into the hallway and she smiled, picking up by the tone that they were bickering about something. That she was going to miss. She was going to miss the guys and their friendship.

"Jaffa believe that a child's name bears much weight upon who they shall grow up to be," Teal'c said.

"Yeah, Teal'c, that makes this so much easier," Daniel said as she walked into the room. Her friends were standing in a small group, Daniel holding Shau'ri's baby while Jack, Teal'c and Janet stood by him.

Martouf stood off to the side, ready to escort Sam to the new Tok'ra base. He had a large satchel over his shoulder and Sam knew it contained an urn of Sarouche's ashes.

"Daniel still has not named this poor child," Janet said. "And I'm getting tired of calling him 'little man'."

"What have you tried?" Sam asked, holding out her hands to hold the baby one last time.

Sam turned, watching the general walk into the room. Behind him, Sam could hear the gate dialing.
'Benjamin,' Selmac suggested.

'I knew a Benjamin once. On a planet called Artaka.' She felt a pleasurable sigh coming from the symbiote. 'He was a wonderful man. Kind, caring…virile.'

'Selmac,' Sam protested, having a tough time reconciling virility with the cooing form in her arms. "You are not going to call him Benjamin," she said, inadvertently speaking aloud.

Sam looked down as the baby in her arms wiggled a bit, waving one small arm in the air. "I think he likes it too."

"Benjamin Jackson," Daniel said, taking the baby from Sam. "It does have a ring to it."

Jack shrugged. "Coulda been worse, I guess," he muttered. "Could have picked Michael."

"It is the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that Major Carter be recalled, and be given the title of Diplomatic Liaison to the Tok'ra. As such, she's welcome to come and go as she pleases…within reason, of course."

"Sweet. Congratulations," Jack said, a sentiment echoed by the others in the room.

Daniel pulled her close. "You know, Jolinar was worth it," he whispered. "Be happy."

She moved on towards Jack, delivering an Academy-perfect salute. "It was an honor, sir."

Fighting un-majorly tears, she moved onto Hammond, who brushed protocol aside, pulling her close. "Jacob would be proud," he said softly.

She walked to Martouf's side as they stepped onto the ramp, their footsteps clanging on the metal grate. "Yo, Carter?" Sam turned back. "Don't forget to write," Jack said.

Sam smiled and waved, then turned and stepped through the shimmering blue surface, her past but a memory and her future an unknown road ahead of her.